


How Lucky I Am

by Suneater (Gryn)



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-07
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-09-15 10:13:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9230390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gryn/pseuds/Suneater
Summary: Annabeth has a lot, a great job, a good apartment, a steady future. But a run in with Percy Jackson at the park gives her something she never expected, a family. But will she be able to hold on to the family she's built when the fates are so cruel?





	

**Author's Note:**

> For bananannabeth on tumblr and everyone else that didn't vote me angstiest fic writer.

The first day of spring - real spring, where the air is free of the weight of winter and the concrete is baked by the ever welcome sun, pushes New York from its towering glass and metal structures to the first breath of fresh air that doesn't burn as you gulp it down. Annabeth is one of these migrants, fleeing her cubicle to find a less comfortable spot on a bench where she can enjoy her book and the few extra minutes of daylight slowly being fed into their hibernating routines. She'd spotted the bench weeks ago when the ground was still thick with old snow, congealed into a mass of ice and dirt and slush that would take time to meld into the frozen ground. Now she reaps the rewards of vigilance and snags an edge of the bench before most have even thought about using the day to venture outside. 

Annabeth takes her time as she reads, letting the letters that jumble together mend themselves and pulls meaning from those that refuse to make sense from the context of the plot. Despite the twisting letters she falls into the story, the ease of dialogue and quick flow makes it easy to forget where she is. It's only when the first body is found at the same time a child screams makes her jump does she blink back into the park, birds and chatter and the ever present sound of traffic filtering back in. She lifts her head, blinking away the fading brightness of the afternoon to look to find who managed to make her jump. A little girl screams for dear life while being swung around by a guy around Annabeth’s age. She smiles, less annoyed and more glad a child isn't actually being killed. 

It only takes her a few seconds to drift off watching the two of them play, enjoying the laughter and giggles bubbling up from the little girl as the man chases her through the newly thriving grass and damp soil. It's the man that spots her staring first, eyes widening slightly before he ducks his head and turns away. The little girl notices his sudden change and glances around, meeting Annabeth's gaze. Annabeth gives the girl a smile and notices the same gentle slope of the girls mouth as it lifts, the same sparkle in her eye as the guy’s. The resemblance of the two of them is easy to catch onto but she figures the guy must have been incredibly young for her to be his daughter. She's caught up trying to decide if the guy just looks incredible for his age or if the girl is the byproduct of a teen romance and doesn't notice them approaching. 

"I want to  _ siiiit, _ " the girl draws out the word, tugging on the man's hand as they close on the bench. 

"No you don't you want to make me suffer." Annabeth barely makes out the mumbled words as he gives up dragging his feet and drops onto the other end of the bench. 

The girl hops up next to him, scooting a little closer to Annabeth as she makes herself comfortable and giving an easy smile Annabeth way. 

"Percy we need hotdogs." There's a matter-of-fact tone to the words as if there could be nothing else more true in the universe. 

"Oh, we do?" The guy- who must be Percy- turns and raises one eyebrow. 

"Are you saying no to a hotdog?" The little girl gives a tiny gasp of mock surprise that's delivered so well Annabeth has to muffle a laugh into the pages of her book. 

In the silence that lasts only a few seconds Annabeth feels the heat of a gaze on her neck and turns to find sea green eyes that pull the air from her lungs. They flick away from her and the pressure in her chest eases but she's not sure she wants it to. 

"Don't do anything," Percy says as he stands, finger pointed at the little girl. "Got it." 

The only response the girl gives is to stick out her tongue and Percy responds in kind before heading off towards a small hotdog cart at the edge of the park. Annabeth lets her eyes linger on him for a second, watching his steady gait and the pull of his shirt at his shoulders before she reminds herself she's ogled a stranger enough for today and turns back towards the mystery of the Montauk Killer. Before she can get through the sentence where she left off the bench gives a soft squeak and a voice breaks the spell slipping over her. 

"Hi." The voice says with innocence and excitement. 

Annabeth blinks, turns, and blinks again. Making sure no one else is around- like Percy- that the little girl could be addressing before answering. 

"Hi," Annabeth says, letting her book drift closed in her hands. 

"Sorry, am I bothering you?" The girl's eyes fall to the book before rising back up expectantly. 

"No, no," Annabeth shakes her head. "It's fine." 

"Okay good," the girl grins as she speaks, flashing holes where teeth still haven't grown in yet. "I'm Ava," she holds out a hand, slender fingers that look like they've only just lost their extra baby fat. 

"Hi Ava," Annabeth says warmly, extending her own hand. "I'm Annabeth." 

"It's a really nice day to read outside," Ava says chipperly, legs that are just too short to touch the ground swinging freely.

"It's really nice to be outside," Annabeth says, giving Ava a grin and wanting to laugh at how easy it is to talk to this little girl. 

Ava nods enthusiastically, "That's why I made my brother take me to the park. I'm tired of being stuck inside all day." 

Ava's brother, Annabeth thinks to herself as her eyes flick in Percy's direction. Only after she spots Percy's form in line does she realize the conversation has hit a pause and she turns back to Ava who is all teeth and a grin from ear to ear. 

"He thinks you're cute," Ava informs her, nodding her head as she speaks. "When he noticed you looking he blushed." 

Annabeth feels her own face warm at Ava's words, she hadn't been checking Percy out- at least not on purpose- but she can't exactly see the downside in letting him think that. 

"So is that why you dragged him over here?" Annabeth raises her eyebrows, smiling as Ava blushes this time. 

Ava shrugs, eyes pointedly avoiding Annabeth. 

"And I'm guessing sending him off to get hotdogs was so you could let me know he's your brother and thinks I'm cute." Annabeth's forgotten her book and the purpose of being outside and found something else to enjoy. 

"And because I'm hungry. Win-win." Ava watches her feet as they swing and Annabeth laughs. 

"Something funny?" A deeper voice interrupts and the girls look up to a waiting Percy holding two hotdogs. 

"This is Annabeth," Ava says with a wave of her arm in Annabeth's direction. "She's really nice." 

"Uh, hi, Annabeth," Percy says quickly, eyes flicking between the two of them. 

"Hi. Your sister and I were just talking about how much we enjoy the park." 

"Uh, huh," Percy focuses on Ava who smiles innocently. "Hotdog, ketchup and relish only. I didn't let mustard get near it." 

"Good." Ava reaches up for the food. 

"Hey, don't have something to say to me?" Percy asks, lifting the hotdog out of Ava's reach. 

"Yeah, you're a dork," Ava deadpans and Annabeth can't help the snort of laughter that slips out of her. 

There's a second of shock on Percy's face before a blush creeps in and his eyes flick quickly to Annabeth. 

"Really funny, Shrimp." 

"Don't call me that, Fish-face." 

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you all the way up here, Shrimp." 

Ava's eyes narrow and her head slowly swivels towards Annabeth. 

"Annabeth, did you know that Percy has a stuffed pa-"

"Shut up. Eat the hotdog. Shut up." Percy shoves the food at his sister who beams and snatches it out of his hand as her brother turns red enough to rival a coke can. 

Ava lets out a happy noise of victory as she chomps into the hotdog, Percy slinking onto the bench as far from Annabeth as he can get. Annabeth manages to keep herself somewhat composed- at least enough to not laugh- and snaps open her book, willing to let the moment pass and let Percy have a break. 

Annabeth makes a few paragraphs of progress before Ava's voice- half muffled by a mouthful of hotdog- interrupts her again. 

"Wha' 're you rea’ing?"

"Ava!" Percy chides. "Don't talk with your mouth full." Every feature is set with seriousness and Ava baulks under his gaze. 

She swallows her mouthful of food and gives Annabeth an apologetic smile. 

"It's a murder mystery book set in Montauk." Annabeth turns the book so Ava can see the cover. "It was a bestseller a couple years ago but I-" 

"I'm gonna go play." 

Annabeth blinks as Ava drops the half eaten hotdog on the bench and runs off, hands scrubbing at her eyes, at the tears forming at the corners of them. She watches the little girl sprint off, unsure of what's happened or what do say. 

"Did I say something? I didn't scare her did I?" Annabeth rounds on Percy, his face fallen and eyes cast with their own shadow of pain. 

"Sally Jackson," Percy says, voice monotone and empty. "The author of that book, is our mom. She passed away two years ago." There's a terrifying lack of anything in Percy's voice, the words somehow being said without being felt as if they're already programmed into him like an automated response. 

"I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry." Annabeth reaches out to place her hand on Percy's arm but stops herself. "Is there anything-" 

"It's okay," Percy says with a smile that barely lasts a second on his lips. "But we should probably head home. It was nice meeting you." 

Annabeth nods, the guilt of ruining their day and dragging up memories of their mother robbing her of anything to say, even if her words could fix anything. Percy picks up the hotdog Ava abandoned and drops it into the trash along with his, heading off in the direction his sister bolted. Annabeth doesn't miss the shaky breath or the way his fists clench as he walks away.

* * *

 

Annabeth watches the ebb and flow of traffic, the blood of the city as it pulses. She lets herself watch and listen and take it in without processing or thinking. The cabs and busses and cars blend together to become a single string of motion and movement that repeats itself like the same few notes played in varying patterns. 

Every few minutes she scans the park, looking for the same mess of dark hair and bright little smile. They had been missing from the park yesterday and might not show up today but Annabeth still bought the hotdog and waited anyways. She spots Percy who's looking at her with a timid smile and holding the hand of his sister who's looking at nothing but the ground. Annabeth waves and he returns the gesture, tugging gently at Ava's hand but she doesn't look up. Annabeth's stomach drops, plummeting from a height that could rival the Empire State building and landing in a heap at her feet. 

Percy drops down into a crouch and leans in, mouthing words Annabeth can't make out but Ava nods once before Percy stands and they make their way over. Annabeth takes a breath, fingers flexing around the paper wrapping in her hand. Percy stops a few feet away and lets Ava step in front of him, resting a hand gently on her back. Ava lifts her head, just enough for Annabeth to catch her eyes and the pain that darkens them. It's the last straw that breaks the cord of tension that's been pulled taught in her heart. Annabeth slips off the bench, thankful she's practical enough to wear flats and a loose enough skirt she can manage this without falling over, and starts in before Ava or Percy have time to say anything.

"Ava, I'm very sorry about the other day. I feel horrible that I ruined your day at the park and you didn't get to finish your hotdog so I got you this," she holds out the almost cold hotdog to the little girl. "Ketchup and relish, no mustard anywhere near it. I swear." 

She gives a hesitant smile, still waiting for Ava to accept her gift and the cloud of tension to burn away. Ava's hand twitches but doesn't lift to take the hotdog, her eyes locked in dead focus on Annabeth's out stretched hand. The strange stillness that would seem out of place anywhere in the city is finally broken by Ava turning to glance back at Percy. Annabeth realizes it makes sense she'd want permission before taking food from someone she doesn't know, she's pretty sure not taking candy from strangers is the most hounded parenting saying out there. 

Percy shrugs as if he has no idea if the food is laced with cyanide or not, which is apparently all the direction Ava needs to turn and lunge at Annabeth who nearly topples over as little arms wrap around her neck and squeeze in the best hug Annabeth may have ever received.

"I'm really sorry," Annabeth whispers into the tangle of dark brown hair tucked against her shoulder.

"S'okay," Ava mutters back. 

The fierce hug lasts another few seconds until Ava breaks free and takes a step back. She eyes the hotdog for a moment before reaching out and gently taking it from Annabeth. The little girl stares at the hotdog like it's Christmas morning and she has come downstairs to find every present she's ever wished for under the tree. She takes a small bite of it and smiles at Annabeth as she chews, the sight pushes out the last little bit of breath that Annabeth had been holding. 

"Percy," Ava says turning to her brother. "Would you hold this while I play? But don't eat it!" she waves her finger at him to solidify her point. 

"After you took a bite?" he fills his voice with mock disgust. "I'd get cooties." 

"Those aren't real." Annabeth can't see her do it, but she feels Ava roll her eyes. 

"Whatever dork. Go play." Percy takes the hotdog and gently shoves her away towards the other children enjoying the freedom the weather has allowed their parents to give them. 

Ava takes off at a full sprint, brown hair whipping behind her and arms pumping wildly. Annabeth misses being that young and free, being able to forget the rest of the world is watching you and expecting something.

"Thank you," his voice startles her and Annabeth does her best not to turn on him too quickly. 

"For what?" she asks, already losing herself in green eyes that remind her so much of the ocean. 

"For the hotdog, and apologizing."

Annabeth shakes her head at him, standing as she does so and smoothing out her skirt. "It wasn't anything that Ava didn't deserve, that the two of you don't deserve." 

Percy looks away, his cheeks turning slightly pink as he shifts his weight from one foot to the other. "Well thank you." 

"I mean it Percy, I'm sorry about the other day," she waits until he turns back towards her to continue. "Obviously it's still hard on Ava, but she can't be the only one. Especially since I'm guessing you're taking care of her now." 

She watches him swallow, nod, and turn back towards Ava. 

"It's... it's been rough," he breaths out the words in a huff, collapsing back onto the bench.

"I'm not a parenting expert but it seems like you're doing a pretty good job," she eases herself onto the bench next to him. 

Percy laughs, a quick, rough huff of air that makes her skin prickle. "Mom did most of the work, I'm just trying not to ruin it." 

"That's still got to be a lot of weight to carry," she feels the urge to reach out and place her hand on his arm again. 

"Yeah," he whispers, voice tight and eyes starting to gloss over. 

Percy shakes his head and blinks, clearing his throat and sitting up straighter. "She felt horrible about the other day." 

"She did?" Annabeth scoots closer under the pretense of looking across the park for the little girl they're speaking of. 

"She was upset she just ran off like that, didn't want you to get a bad idea of her." 

Annabeth smiles to herself, thinking Ava was more upset she may have ruined her brother's chances. 

"I don't think most kids her age would care about something like that. That's pretty impressive manners you've taught her." 

Percy laughs again, giving her a slight shake of his head. "You have to have manners to teach them, and at her age I was more interested in avoiding conversations than talking to people. Less chance of getting in trouble that way." 

"Well it's very sweet of her. Give yourself some credit though, you were on her about talking with her mouth full," Annabeth gives him a smile and leans slightly towards him, wondering what about the Jacksons makes them so easy to talk to. 

"My mom may not have been able to get every lesson drilled into my thick skull be she made sure that one stuck," Percy chuckles but Annabeth sees the sheen return to his eyes and the stiffness in his posture. 

"So what do you do Percy? I mean when you're not being an awesome big brother?" Annabeth stretches her legs out in front of her, the feeling of Percy's eyes lingering on them making her smile. 

"I'm going back to school. Trying to finally earn my degree." He tells her like he's admitting an embarrassing secret. 

"That incredible," Annabeth says enthusiastically. "What in?"

Percy looks at her expectantly, as if waiting for her to judge him for his lack of education. "Marine Biology," he finally says. 

"Plans on saving the world or something?" she teases. 

"Or something I guess," Percy shrugs, slouching a little in his seat. "I don't think I could save the world but I'd like to try and help. Work at an aquarium or with a foundation spreading information on what people can do about pollution and overfishing and-" he stops abruptly, eyes flicking away from her and his cheeks shading a slight pink. "Sorry, I was rambling." 

"No, no. That's incredible. You actually care about what you do. There are so many people that hate their jobs and are miserable, I'm glad you're passionate about yours." 

"What about you?" he asks, clearly trying to squirm free of the attention. "Are you passionate about what you do?" 

Annabeth smiles, "I'd like to think so," she smooths out wrinkles that don't exist from her skirt. "I'm an architect with a firm here in New York." 

"Why an architect?" 

The question is innocent, not anything more than she asked of him or he offered but in the same way she saw a book and not the still open wound to a lost loved one, he sees a question not the eighteen years that are the answer. 

"In short, because I want to do something important. I want to build something permanent, and changing the New York skyline is the way to do that." The weight of the words is mirrored in her chest, in the way the moment of silence sits between two near strangers giving up little pieces of themselves for others to examine. 

Annabeth's fingers curl around the edge of the bench, muscles and tendons tightening as she waits. 

"That's incredible, and I can't wait to see how you change things." The words are sincere and soft and full of rugged enthusiasm and pull the weight from the air, her lungs, the words themselves. 

"So what does Ava want to do?" Annabeth asks, taking her turn to shift the focus away from herself. 

"She wants to be a doctor, and a writer, and run an animal shelter." 

"Ambitious. I like it," Annabeth nods, turning to spot the little girl enthralled in a game with a handful of other children. 

"She wants to help people," the smile on Percy's face melds into his words. "She wants to be a doctor to save people, she wants to write stories to help people escape, she wants to save animals because they can't save themselves." 

"You're proud of her." Annabeth doesn't ask because it isn't a question, the admiration for his sibling is more than evident. 

"She has a chance to become something incredible, I just hope I don't screw it up." 

"I don't think you will." This time Annabeth lets her hand rest on his arm and she smiles, at the tingle in the tips of her fingers and at him. 

The conversation flows from everything to nothing, covering TV and books and hobbies and weird things that have happened on the subway. Annabeth laughs and loses herself in being able to talk to someone so easily, the only thing she finds herself worrying about is keeping her hands to herself. The easy, idle conversation is still going when a shrieking bundle of small child chased by a comet of rich brown hair careens into Percy. He lets out a muffled  _ oof  _ as she bounces off of him. 

"Percy what time is it?" Ava asks breathlessly. 

Percy digs into his pocket, fishing out his phone and checking the screen. His brows knit together, eyes narrowing as he stares at the phone screen. Annabeth dreads looking at her own phone to see how long they've spent sitting on the bench, she can guess by the dwindling light of the day that it's been too long already. 

"Time for us to be heading home," he says giving Annabeth a quick but saddened glance. 

He slides the phone into his pocket and stands, holding out the hand not still holding Ava's hotdog for her to take. 

"C'mon, let's say goodbye to Annabeth." Percy takes Ava's hand in his own, smiling down at his sister as she turns towards Annabeth. 

"Bye Annabeth! See you tomorrow." 

"Tomorrow?" Percy and Annabeth repeat the last word of Ava's statement in unison, glancing nervously at each other and sharing a blush. 

"Duh, we're coming to the park tomorrow," Ava looks to Annabeth and rolls her eyes, as if Annabeth was in on this information from the start. 

"Ava we can't go to the park everyday, we both have homework. And I'm sure Annabeth has better things to do than hang out on a bench all day." 

Ava turns to Annabeth, lips slightly pouted and eyes wide and sad enough to rival a baby seal, "You'll be here tomorrow won't you Annabeth?" 

Annabeth can't seem to bring herself to look directly at Ava, instead focusing on a spot just over the little girl's shoulder. 

"I don't think so, I have a meeting that's probably going to run late and some work to finish up." 

The utter heartbreak in the look Ava gives her is the thing that's normally reserved for commercials about saving starving animals or grandmothers you don't visit enough. The fact that all of that guilt and sadness is condensed into an eight year old is almost enough to break her. 

"How about this," Annabeth focuses on Ava's eyes and tells herself this is a reasonable compromise. "I'll give Percy my phone number and the next time you guys go to the park he can text me and I'll see if I can come too. How does that sound?" 

A flick is switched and Ava goes from forlorn and starving to bursting with happiness. 

"Okay!" Ava bounces with joy, grin stretching from ear to ear. 

Annabeth turns to Percy and holds out her hand, waiting for Percy to drop his phone in it. Percy stares at her empty hand with a mix of shock and confusion, his gaze burning a hole in her hand as he stands perfectly still. 

"Percy, your phone," Annabeth says expectantly. 

"Right, yeah. Phone." He lets go of Ava's hand and digs back in his pocket, producing a dinged and scratched phone that looks well past its lifespan. 

Annabeth adds her number to Percy's contacts, noting how few of them there seem to be, and handing the phone back over to him. 

"Give me a call next time you guys go out," she says with a smile as Percy handles the phone like it's made of glass. 

Percy nods, swallows, and nods again. It takes Ava tugging on his hand to get him to actually move and Annabeth is sure she hears the little girl call him a dork as they walk away. 

"Bye Annabeth! See you tomorrow!" Annabeth has to laugh at how self assured Ava seems, as if their next date is set in stone. 

She watches the two of them walk off and stands, ready to head home and await Percy's call. Before she gets more than a half a dozen steps she hears familiar voices yelling from behind her. 

"No you can't throw it away! Annabeth gave it to me!"

"You're not even going to eat it!"

"I'm keeping it!" 

Annabeth muffles a laugh with her hand and keeps walking.

* * *

 

The door swings open easily enough and a bell rings just over her head, a sound that reminds her of old bookstores and mom and pop shops. The glass cases reflect the bright halogen lights and the chill air settles over her skin despite the press of people inside. She can't exactly be surprised, it's the first Friday of real spring and the weather has continued to warm, giving many the excuse they need to indulge in frozen treats. It's Ava's frantically waving hand that she spots first, but Percy's hesitant and slightly shy smiles she focuses on. 

"Hey," Annabeth says in greeting, dropping her bag down into an unoccupied seat and taking one for herself. "So what's the occasion? Or did she sucker you into this?" Annabeth addresses Percy but throws a nod in Ava's direction. 

"Because of this!" Ava says triumphantly, slapping down a sheet of paper with surprisingly legible handwriting. 

"We have a rule, a perfect score deserves ice cream," Percy informs her. "My mom started it with me and the tradition continues, though she gets a lot more perfect scores than I do." He gives Ava a typical envious big brother look. 

"That's because I'm more awesome than you are," Ava grins, wiggling in her seat and pulling the spelling test back towards herself. 

"Well congratulations, excellence definitely deserves to be rewarded." 

Ava nods seriously, "This is why I like you." 

She gives the two adults a sour look as they laugh at her comment, obviously not finding the humor in it herself. 

"So what would you like?" Percy asks, it takes Annabeth a second to understand the question is directed at her and not to his sibling. 

"I can get my own," she says, reaching for her purse. 

"I- we invited you out," Percy says with a shake of his head. "So it's on us. Well, on me." 

It wouldn't be unreasonable for her to pay for herself, she's a grown woman with a career and a steady income but if Percy is the one to pay it feels more like a date and less like them just hanging out. 

"Okay, a scoop of strawberry in a cup then." 

"Huh," Percy says standing. "I would have guessed lemon." 

Annabeth shoots him a quizzical look but doesn't say anything as he hurriedly stands, turning in an attempt to hide the blush creeping up his neck. 

"So," Annabeth turns to Ava. "You excited it's Friday?" 

"Yeah," Ava says excitedly. "I'm gonna sleep in and and have sugar-o's for breakfast." 

"Sugar-o's?" Annabeth asks, not sure if she's unaware of that brand because it's only marketed at children or if she's just missing it in the cereal aisle. 

"It's when you cover your Cheerios in sugar. It's the best." 

Annabeth laughs and nods. "That sounds pretty good." 

"You should try them."

"I think I will. What about your brother, what are his plans?" Annabeth keeps the curiosity in her voice to a minimum. 

"Probably lame school stuff. He already had to go to his training thing this month." Ava sounds as uninterested in Percy's as only a sibling could. 

"Training thing?" Annabeth pries.

"Yeah for his other job." 

The next question is on the tip of her tongue and ready to come spilling off of it but two scoops of ice cream appear on the table and a third scoop in a cone is offered to Ava who watches it as if given a divine gift from heaven. 

"One rocky road for the spelling champ," Percy says handing over the cone. "One strawberry," Percy slides her a cup with a bright pink spoon sticking out of it. "And one blue raspberry for myself." 

"Blue raspberry? You know that's not a natural flavor, right?" 

"Tell me about it," Ava says with a roll of her eyes. 

"It's tradition," Percy's voice goes for playful but Annabeth hears the slight twinge to it and lets the subject go. 

Ava dives straight in and is enjoying the first taste of celebratory ice cream when a guy at the table next to them jostles her, nearly covering her in rocky road as he forces his way out of the crowded store. 

"Maybe we should walk and eat," Annabeth offers at the sight of Percy's darkening features.

Percy nods, lips still pressed together tightly. He leads the way out and Annabeth follows behind Ava as she attempts to lick as much of the ice cream off her face as possible. Free of the confines of the store Ava leaps ahead of them, skipping her way down the street and stopping every few steps to devour more frozen dessert. Annabeth falls into step beside Percy and plans out the wording the question still heavy on her tongue. 

"So Ava mentioned something about training for your other job?" Percy nearly misses a step as his head snaps to the side to look at her. 

"Uh, yeah. I'm- well I was, uh, in the Navy. I'm reserve now, but we still have trainings every once and awhile." Percy's head drops as he speaks, the cup of ice cream slowly drifting downwards in his grasp. "I tell Ava my job now is school and taking care of her." 

"Do you not like it? Being in the Navy?" Annabeth tacks on the second question to make sure he doesn't misunderstand. 

"No, no. I mean it's not something I wanted to make a career of, but it was a good job. It's allowing me to go to school without loans or having to work part time." He stops talking but Annabeth can feel more and waits to see if he wants to say anything else. "And it gave me a chance to be something." 

"You said something similar to that the other day in the park, about Ava having a chance to be something. What did you mean?" Annabeth can't help but ask the question, even while the nagging feeling in the back of her mind says it's asking for too much. 

"My dad passed away right after I was born, I never really got to meet him. After that my mom had to make some tough choices, I always knew she was doing what was best for us but things were tough. The guy she was dating wasn't great- actually- he was horrible," Percy shakes his head, his voice dropping with each word. "I wasn't a great kid to raise either. I got in trouble a lot and– I guess struggled is a nice way to put how well I did in school. I joined the Navy because I wasn't sure I had any other option." 

Silence settles between them for half a block and Annabeth lets it be, still taking in how much Percy is offering up to her. 

"But it ended up being a great choice. My mom no longer had to worry about me and she dropped the low life she was dating. She didn't have to work three jobs to support me, started taking writing classes, met my step dad Paul. They got married and she got her first bestseller, I thought everything was perfect and then she Skyped me one day and showed me the sonogram. We both cried and I was so excited." Percy's head lifts and he smiles at the ice cream coated ball of energy and excitement skipping in front of them. 

"I knew things would be better. Ava would have both parents and not have to struggle like I did. Everything was perfect, and then..." Annabeth fills in the rest. 

"She hasn't lost that future, Percy. You're still making sure she gets it.” Annabeth grips her cup of half melted ice cream in one hand and reaches the other out to take Percy's hand, giving him a reassuring squeeze while ignoring the pounding of her heart. 

“I'm trying,” he whispers, voice hitching slightly.

“What are you slow pokes doing?” Ava shouts from a block ahead of them. 

Annabeth slips her hand from Percy's quickly, running her hand along her jeans in attempt to chase away the warmth still thrumming in her veins. 

“Big talk from such a shrimp,” Percy shoots back. 

“Big talk from someone with a pillow pet!” Ava cries back, Percy stiffening at the words and ears darkening with color. 

“Says the girl with a bed full of Winnie the Pooh stuffed animals.” 

“You leave Pooh out of this!” Ava stomps her foot. 

Annabeth finally crumbles, laughter bubbling up and escaping past clenched teeth. The Jackson siblings glare at her, both still streaming with embarrassment. 

“You're both dorks,” Annabeth says through a gulp of air. 

She lets the two of them stew in their rivalry and embarrassment, enjoying the faces they make at each other as they stick their tongues out at one another. 

“So Winnie the Pooh, huh?” Annabeth finally asks, breaking the building wall of tension between the siblings. 

“She loves him. We’ve watched every movie and episode she can possibly get her hands on,” Percy informs her with the worn and weary voice of a battle hardened veteran. 

“Pooh is the best!” Ava cheers, ice cream teetering in her hand as she bounces on her toes. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Percy reaches out and gives Ava a gentle push. “Keep walking, Shrimp.” 

“Panda pillow pet,” Ava repeats before dashing off ahead of them again. 

Percy glares after her, pink inching its way back up his neck. He keeps his eyes away from Annabeth, away from the slight smirk she wears while wondering if he sleeps with it curled under his chin. It would be easy to ask, do dig into the tender spot just to watch him change colors but he’s already opened himself so much. Instead she lets it slide, putting it away to be brought out another time to make him squirm. 

“Any place in particular we’re walking to?” Annabeth takes a step towards Percy, letting her shoulder bump against his. 

“Not really,” Percy glances at the slot of sky running between the buildings on either side of them. “I guess it’s getting late though.” He turns to look at her and she slips into the warm waters and easy waves held in his eyes. “Walk you home?” 

“Sure,” Annabeth says easily, keeping the space between them tight enough to brush their arms as they walk. 

Directions are given through gentle pushes of shoulder against shoulder or fingers wrapped loosely around his bicep. The walk to her apartment building is short and bitter-sweet, too few turns and much too short. Annabeth brings her pace to a crawl, even Ava noticing as the space between them seems to grow and grow. 

“So this was a fun… uh, whatever this was,” Percy says timidly, eyes searching the buildings around them for which is their final stop. 

“Date kind of seems like a fitting term,” Annabeth offers, the words coming out steady but feeling so very fragile. 

“Oh,” Percy says the word like a breath that’s been knocked out of him. 

“Am I wrong?” Annabeth ducks her head to catch his eyes.

“No, it’s just-” he glances at Ava and the closing distance between them. “I was going to ask if you’d like to go out to dinner tonight… but I guess two dates in one night is a little much.” 

Percy’s voice is heavy with defeat, the sound of his courage melting like the remnants of his ice cream. 

“Probably,” Annabeth says with a nod. “But I’m free tomorrow night.”

There’s a moment of hesitation, long enough for one, two, three beats of her heart before Percy breaks into a grin. 

“Yeah? Dinner then.” His smile is infectious, warmth spreading down her neck and dripping into her lungs. “Someplace nice, I know this Italian place-” 

“Actually, could I pick the place?” The question derails him, but she doesn’t regret asking.

Percy would have picked a great place, someplace nice and romantic and a very typical date spot. Not something Annabeth would normally disagree to but the clawing feeling in the back of her throat, in the pit of her stomach, in the corner of her mind tells her that it’s her turn to give without asking in return. 

“Okay, yeah,” Percy nods hard enough Annabeth worries he’ll get whiplash. “I’ll meet you here at seven?” 

“Sounds great,” Annabeth reaches out and gives his hand another gentle squeeze, then heads for Ava. 

Annabeth reaches the grinning little girl who’s stopped just past the stairs up to Annabeth’s apartment and is looking at her with knowing eyes. 

“Bye, Annabeth. Have fun tomorrow,” Ava teases. 

“I’m sure I will,” she responds, glancing at Percy over her shoulder. 

She gives Ava a quick hug and makes her way up the steps, waving to them as they head back down the street and towards their own apartment. Annabeth pauses when she has the door closed behind her, taking a second to enjoy the tingle of excitement and anxiety that starts in her fingers and toes and runs down her limbs. A grin builds on her face, growing so slowly she doesn't notice the ache in her cheeks until her muscles burn. Annabeth pushes away from the door, taking in a deep breath and curling her fingers into fists.

* * *

 

Annabeth stands at the door of her building, wishing the evening air had kept just a bit more of the warmth of the day before settling back into the chill of winter that still clings desperately to the nights. Her dress is modest, a deep royal blue that falls to her knees with a simple lace across the bodice and cap sleeves but it leaves long stretches of skin exposed to the night air. She closes her eyes, fingers wrapped around her clutch and pulls in a deep breath of New York night air. The potential of tonight, of this date, weigh on her heavily. There’s more than the normal butterflies and adrenaline of something new, layered over that is the worry of what this means to Ava, to Percy, and the looming fact of their loss. 

It’s easy to hear the hurried footsteps, even over the sound of life in the city. Slowly she peels her eyes open, drinking in the sight in front of her. The sleeves of his hastily tucked in green and white checkered dress shirt are pushed nearly to his elbow, the unbuttoned collar, slight wrinkles, and general disheveled look only makes it that much more appetizing. Annabeth smiles, letting her admiration for the look show in her eyes. 

“You clean up well,” she teases. 

“Thanks. You look, well, uh, incredible,” he manages, eyes linger on her. 

“Thank you. Ready?” she asks, taking the steps slowly and holding her arm out. 

“Sure,” he nods. “Where to?” 

“It’s not far.” 

They walk in comfortable silence for the first few blocks, enjoying the familiarity of the city around them and the company next to them. Annabeth feels the butterflies swell in her stomach as they approach their destination, she wipes her hands on her dress and turns to Percy. 

“The place is just up here,” she gestures to a stone building just ahead of them. 

“Can I ask why this place?” 

Annabeth smiles at him, eyes softening as she takes in his curious look. 

“You asked my why I picked architecture and I want to show you one of the reasons.” Annabeth reaches for the door but Percy lunges forward and grabs it from her. “Thank you,” she tells him with a smile and steps around him. 

She gives him a second to take in the restaurant around them, the brick and beams and steel. Annabeth places her hand on Percy’s arm, keeping them by the door and just far enough from the hostess that they can stall long enough for her to give her spiel. 

“This place was owned by an Italian immigrant after the war. He didn’t want to pay the protection money and so they burned his store down. No one died but it nearly ruined the family,” Annabeth tells him.

“Nearly?”  

“He got a job as a cook, taught his granddaughter everything he knew and she bought the place a few years ago. My company helped with the remodel of it, she told us she wanted the history back, to feel the story in the bricks.” Annabeth points to a section of wall marred with black. “You can see the damage still. Sometimes architecture covers up some ugly things, sometimes it lets them through.” 

Percy nods quietly, taking in what he can see through the dim lighting and busy crowd. 

“You brought me here to show me that. To show me things get better.” 

“And because they have fantastic burgers. Win-win.” Annabeth grins at him, the jokes slipping through his grasp. 

“Okay,” Percy says hesitantly, weight shifting from the balls of his feet to his heels. “So, should we get a table?” 

He takes the lead when talking with the hostess, gesturing for her to walk ahead of him and even pulling out her chair for her. The waitress gives Annabeth a smile and Percy another look over as she passes them menus. Annabeth doesn’t bother to open hers, already having settled on a burger and fries with a strawberry lemonade to wash it down. Percy eyes her expectantly, his gaze dropping to the still closed menu. 

“Already know what you want?” 

“I typically do,” Annabeth flashes a coy smile. 

“Well, I guess I’ll trust your judgement oh, Wise One.” Percy flips his menu closed and leans in, shifting in his seat. “So, uh, I guess this is when the typical first date questions start, but I honestly have no idea what to ask,” Percy chuckles at himself. 

“How about I start?” Percy gives her a nod and Annabeth leans forwards, resting her elbow on the table. “How long were you on active duty in the Navy?” 

“Five years. I enlisted when I was seventeen and went reserve right around when I was twenty-two. Probably the best Christmas present I ever gave my mom.” Percy gives her a pained smile and Annabeth moves to her next question. 

“So what did you do in the Navy?” 

Percy plays with his water glass, sliding it back and forth while watching the water rings build. 

“Still do actually, and they call it Emergency, Fire and Rescue but I’m really just a firefighter,” Percy says with a shrug. 

“You’re a firefighter. In the Navy. And you’re still single?” Annabeth questions. 

“Uh, yeah. I guess so.” He blushes slightly and looks away. 

“Two uniforms couldn’t nab you a girlfriend?” 

Percy laughs, genuinely laughs and Annabeth’s stomach flips. 

“Wasn’t really looking, but I guess not. Priorities have kind of been elsewhere.” Percy stops playing with the glass and looks back up at her. “You said this place was an example of one of the reasons why you chose architecture, what are the others?” 

Annabeth takes a deep breath, wrapping one hand into a fist and curling the fingers of her other hand around it. 

“My family. My parents- well- they never really worked all that well. My mother got pregnant without consulting my dad and things spiralled after that. I lived with my dad and he’s a professor, taught at West Point and some other big schools. I fell in love with the history of the buildings, the power in them, the stability. Cities rise and fall, but what those cities build tell us their story better than anything else.” 

The words are given a gentle push and allowed out quickly, not even hesitating to take a breath so she keeps her momentum.

“So when did you first know?” he asks, choosing not to push, letting the rest of the conversation wait for another time. 

“That I wanted to be an architect? I guess it was always there, but I only realized it when I was seven.” Annabeth tucks a curl of golden curls behind her hair.  

“Wow,” Percy leans back, eyes widening. “Seven? At seven I was getting kicked out of my fourth school,” Percy shakes his head and laughs. 

“Fourth school? How in the world did you manage that?” Annabeth presses in, leaning herself further across the table. 

Percy gives her a grin, “Bad luck, poorly timed comments, and a troublemaker smile.” 

“The smile I can understand,” she shoots him back her own smile. “That's still a hell of a bad luck streak.” Percy gives her a noncommittal shrug. “Maybe we can change that,” Annabeth says, smile slowly slides to a grin, watching the blush bloom in his cheeks and neck. 

“So, any siblings?” Percy asks. 

“Twin half-brothers, they live with my dad.” Annabeth takes her napkin and spreads it across her lap, smoothing out the wrinkles. 

“How's your relationship with them?” Percy asks, words loaded with the question that he's afraid to ask. 

“Better than my relationship with my dad,” Annabeth answers with a pained smile. 

“I'm sorry,” Percy says with genuine concern and care, causing Annabeth's stomach to roll. 

“It could be worse. We talk at least, it's not much, but it's something.” Annabeth does her best to keep words light and glance over the fact that she's telling this to a person who no longer has any parents left. 

“Still, that’s got to suck.” Percy slides forwards, hand reaching across the table and nearly making it to her before he stops, fingers curling in in slowly. 

“So,” Percy rolls his shoulders, glancing towards the kitchens. “When exactly do we get these burgers you mentioned were so good?” 

Annabeth smiles despite the sudden drop in her stomach and rush of blood in her ears. The night is still early, she reminds herself, and whatever  _ this  _ is- the things that exists between the two of them- is still early. 

Their night passes by in easy laughter and jokes, small talk about nothing and everything, and a handful of moments of tension as they skirt the topics too heavy for tonight. Even after the burgers are served conversation doesn’t stop, it only becomes muffled and choppy as they scarf down their food. An hour after their food is served they’re still talking, still slowly eating a fry at a time and drawing dinner out as long as they can. 

It’s only after their waitress stops by to check on them, subtly placing her hand on the bill, for the third time that they finally decide it’s best to move on. Percy takes the check, brushing away Annabeth’s attempts to pay for her share. He holds onto it until the waitress returns, pushing it into her hands and moving to pull out Annabeth’s chair for her. 

They walk, taking their time and purposely going out of their way just to drag out a few more moments with one another. Annabeth presses Percy for the details on his expulsions, something she can’t imagine a seven year old managing to accomplish multiple times. It takes a bit of ribbing but he gives her all the details, the unfortunate incidences, barely murmured sarcasm, and sharp comments that end him up in the hot seat. He even tells her about the other half a dozen schools he bounces between after that. Annabeth can’t help but laugh at most of it, at the stupid, silly things that teachers and principals found as excuses to use against him. 

She also feels for him, the emotion in his voice when he describes how hard he tried to stay in line but couldn’t dragging at her. Percy on paper is a typical walking disaster, a poor record and a desperate attempt to change things with everything going wrong, but Percy as a person is something entirely different. Percy as a person is kind and stubborn and works at being better but never catches a decent break. Percy as a person is someone Annabeth wants to know more of. 

Inevitably the walk ends and they stand, weight shifting from foot to foot in the still chilling air. Annabeth gave into Percy’s restlessness halfway to her apartment and diverted them, against much of Percy’s protesting, towards his own apartment. In the end he’d given in and led the way, eyes flashing as they’d closed in. A layer of anxiety and worry had seemed to melt away from him when he’d finally come to a stop. Now it’s easy enough to piece together, the concern of being gone so long and leaving his sister alone. She doubts she’d ever be comfortable being away from her last remaining family if she was in Percy’s place, or Ava’s. 

“I, uh, had a really great time tonight, and yesterday.” Percy shoves his hands into his back pockets. “I'd invite you to come up but-” he glances over his shoulder at a window lit with the flickering light of a television screen. 

“I guess you'll have to ask me out again,” Annabeth says. 

“I guess I will,” Percy shuffles closer, only half a step but it’s enough to close the distance between them. “Do you- I mean, would you mind if- if I-” 

Annabeth smiles, grins, pushes down on the first small shake of laughter that threatens to break her composure but she can’t suppress it for long. The laugh is light and soft and quick, breathy and muffled but still there. Percy’s face immediately drops into a frown, eyes lowering and lips pursing slightly. Annabeth lifts up, rolling onto the balls of her feet and stretching to catch his slightly pursed lips against her own. The kiss is quick, warm, soft lips and the nerve burning rush of adrenaline. After a moment it ends, Annabeth lowering herself back down as Percy follows, just a fraction of an inch before catching himself and pulling back. 

“You laughed at me,” Percy says, voice thick with huskiness. 

“I also kissed you. I think that makes up for it,” she whispers between them. 

Percy nods, Annabeth watching as he swallows and his eyes stay focused on her lips.  

“Goodnight, Percy,” Annabeth says softly, taking an unwilling step back from him. 

“Goodnight, Annabeth,” Percy says her name in a way that pulls her back towards her, making her want to stay, to press herself against him in the cool night air and breath him in. 

She ignores the pull in her stomach, the want in her bones, turning instead to head home and reminding herself there will be more dates. She's sure of it.

* * *

 

“ _ Aaaaannnnaaaaabbbeeeetthhh _ ,” the tiny voice screeches over the phone. 

Annabeth pulls the phone from her ear, glancing at the screen to assure herself it still reads Percy at the top and she hadn’t been mistaken when answering the phone in her early morning haze, freshly poured coffee gripped in her hand. 

“Good morning, Ava,” she replies after bringing the phone back to her ear. 

“It’s Pooh day! Do you want to come over?” The little girl sounds as if she’s informing Annabeth she’s won a lifetime pass to Disney World. 

“Pooh day?” Annabeth repeats, hoping for some sort of clarification. 

“Yeah it’s-” there’s a moment of dead air and Annabeth wonders if Ava dropped the phone. “I didn’t want to wait!” The little girl’s voice picks up. “No, no, no, no! Annabeth he-” 

There’s a scuffle that turns to static over the line and muffled voices shouting at one another. The strange greeting and odd timing of the phone call start to seem reasonable if the call originated from Ava without Percy’s permission.  

“No! You’re not talking to her. I don’t care. ‘Cuz you’re a dork. No, you are,” Percy’s distant voice cuts through the silence on the line. “Uh, hey,” he adds, speaking directly to her now. 

“Hi,” Annabeth responds. “So Pooh day, huh?” 

She pushes off from her kitchen counter with her hip, bare feet padding across the cold hardwood floors of her apartment until they sink into her plush area rug. 

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I promised her that I’d invite you over but  _ someone, _ ” Percy shouts the word into the background. “Called before I said it was okay.” There’s a heavy silence that lasts a split second before he continues. “You don’t have to come over.” His voice carries the nervousness of a schoolboy. 

“What exactly is involved in Pooh day?” Annabeth tightens her grip on her coffee, slipping onto her couch and tucking her legs up to her chest, waiting for Percy to explain. 

“It’s basically me not wanting to take Ava somewhere fun and her being obsessed with Winnie the Pooh and marathoning every DVD we have.” 

Annabeth chuckles softly to herself, “So watching the same DVD for probably the hundredth time is better than going out?” 

“It is when you keep getting dragged out every day to a park. Besides, it’s Sunday,” Percy protests. 

“So that means you’re going to lay around all day?” 

“What are you up to then?” 

Annabeth glances at the couch and her coffee in her hand. “So what’s the dress attire for this?” 

Less than thirty minutes later she's changed into her most comfortable jeans and a sweatshirt, standing outside Percy's door waiting for him. As soon as the door swings open she's hit with a wave of air that smells of popcorn and cookies with just a hint of the ocean, of Percy. He wears basketball shorts, a sweatshirt with the faded logo of a high school sports team, and a mess of disheveled hair. 

“Hey,” he says with a nervous smile and tapping fingers. “Come in.” 

Percy steps out of the way, extending his arm up welcome her into his home. The hall is lined with photos, each one framed and hung proudly in clusters. Annabeth takes her first hesitant step into the home, eyes searching each picture under their panes of glass. The pictures are arranged in a story, a grouping for each chapter in the lives of Sally's children. They start with a handful of pictures of Percy as a baby, wrapped in a soft blue blanket in his mother's arms, and continue as he grows to a toddler taking his first steps and then a little boy with a crooked grin. Annabeth stops at a picture of Percy around seventeen, his mother's arms around him and the barely visible trail marks of tears on her cheeks as they stand in front of a bus with Navy in gold lettering. It's after this picture that the frames change, the pictures feeling brighter, the smiles wider. There's a picture of Percy and Sally mid hug, Percy lifting his mother off her feet. Another of Percy with his arm around a man's shoulder, Percy's stepfather she guesses. The three of them at a doctor's appointment, the ghost of a sonogram on a screen they watch with rapt attention. And the story seems to start over, this time the baby in a bundle of pink with her brother holding her, helping her walk, grinning from ear to ear with her. 

Annabeth can feel Percy watching her, eyes shifting between her and each photo she stops to examine for a few seconds. 

“You're home is lovely,” she tells him, eyes still scanning the wall. 

“Uh, thanks. But you haven't seen much of it,” Percy says warily. 

“I think this says as much as I need,” she says with a nod towards the wall. 

Percy looks at the wall for a moment, taking all of it in himself. His eyes linger on the last picture, one of all of them huddled together on the tiny porch of a house with a blue door, all grinning, all happy. In the picture Ava doesn’t look much younger than she is now, eyes bright and cheeks just a little fuller with baby fat. Annabeth can almost feel the memories that picture brings back up, both good and bad. 

“So I’m guessing Ava is glued to the TV,” Annabeth voices in attempt to move them forwards. 

“Had to start a DVD already,” Percy smiles and nods. “It was the only way to keep her from opening the door every five minutes.” 

“Then what are we hanging around here for?” she nudges him with her shoulder. 

Percy leads her to the living room, it’s open and bright and smells even stronger of cookies and popcorn. A large couch and loveseat take up most of the space, a small side table separating them and a coffee table to match. The small TV stand is cluttered with DVD cases and the ground is coated in a layering of blankets. 

“Annabeth!” Ava cries, springing up from the blankets and launching herself at the older girl’s legs. 

Ava nearly topples her over as she crashes into Annabeth’s legs, small but strong arms wrapping around her thighs. An ear to ear grin that’s incredibly infectious stares up at her as Annabeth keeps from toppling over. 

“Hi, Ava. Already started I see,” Annabeth points towards the TV and snack crumbs on the floor. 

“Well  _ someone _ wouldn’t let me invite you earlier,” Ava shoots a look at her brother.

“You wanted to call her at six in the morning!” 

Ava sticks her tongue out at her brother, who sticks his back out in return. The two of them glower at each other for a minute before Annabeth steps past them and drops onto the couch. She tucks her legs under her, grabbing a handful of popcorn, waiting for the two of them to sort it out. 

“Whatever,” Percy finally says, ruffling Ava's hair as he passes her. 

“Hey!” she whines, little fingers trying to tame the mess Percy's made. 

Percy flops onto the couch next to Annabeth, leaving enough space for both of them to be comfortable. Ava drops to the mound of blankets on the floor, snatching up the remote and hastily jamming the play button. Pooh picks up where he left off talking to Piglet about why he loves honey. Instantly Ava is sucked in, eyes wide and face calm as she settles into her seat in front of her brother. Annabeth would lose herself in the memories and nostalgia too if it weren't for Percy's constant shifting, reminding her that he's there, that she kissed him, that it would be too easy to kiss him again. 

“So Ava,” Annabeth leans forward, ready to distract herself from the flickering heat in her stomach. “What movie is your favorite?” 

“All of them,” Ava responds quickly, not bothering to peel her eyes from the TV. 

Annabeth turns to glance at Percy who shakes his head, silently telling her that’s as good as she’s going to get. Unwilling to give up, to turn back to stewing in the tension that exists in the could-be that lingers between herself and Percy she pushes on. 

“Well what’s your favorite thing Pooh says?” Annabeth asks, trying again. 

Ava tilts her head back to look over her shoulder, lips pursed as she thinks. “If there’s a tomorrow we’re not together, there’s something you have to remember. You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart, I’ll always be with you.” Ava blinks rapidly, fingers curling into the carpet beneath her hands. “Mom used to tell us that,” she adds in a whisper. 

Annabeth slips off the couch and moves to sit next to Ava, smoothing the little girl’s hair and giving her a warm smile. 

“Mine is when Piglet asks Pooh if they’ll be friends forever, and Pooh tells him, ‘Even longer.’” Annabeth turns, hair tumbling over her shoulder as she glances at Percy. “What about you?” 

Percy shoves off the couch with a huff before dropping onto the ground next to his sister and pulling her into his lap with a bundle of squeals. 

“I think we dream so we don’t have to be apart for so long. If we’re in each other’s dreams, we can be together all the time.” Percy goes for Ava’s ribs, pulling a piercing shriek from her as she struggles to pull free of his grip. 

Annabeth watches this, watches them, and smiles. This is the idea of family she’d grown up with, the one she’d dreamed of, the kind of love she’d run away from home to find, and now she’s found it even in the pieces they’re trying to pick up. 

Eventually Ava slips free of Percy’s grasp and immediately darts behind Annabeth, panting into the older girl’s hair as she gulps in lungfuls of air to replace everything lost in the struggle. 

“Don’t let him get me Annabeth!” Ava begs, fingers balling into little fists in her sweatshirt. 

“Oh, you think Annabeth can save you?” Percy says menacingly. 

“I know she can!” Ava lifts onto her toes and shouts the challenge over Annabeth’s shoulder. 

“We’ll see about that,” Percy says menacingly, fingers wiggling. 

“Percy, I’m going to warn you–” 

“Oh,  _ warn _ me?” His grin grows as he inches forward, Ava’s fingers tightening on Annabeth’s shoulders. 

“Yes. Warn you that if you try and tickle–”

“Try?” Percy says mischievously. 

“Percy,” Annabeth warns, but before she can say else the corner of his mouth quirks up in his troublemaker grin and he lunges forwards. “Percy!” she shrieks, turning to scoop up Ava and bolt from the room. 

They bound around the house, Percy following directly behind Annabeth who does all she can to stay out of his reach. After a full lap around the apartment they end up back in the living room, Annabeth having gained some ground after Percy tripped over himself in the hall. Annabeth uses the chance she’s been given to get Ava onto the couch, spinning back just in time to face Percy as he slides into the room. 

“Give up on running?” 

“Figured I’d show Ava how to take you down?” 

“Take me down, huh?” There’s just enough hint of suggestion in his voice to make a blush creep up her neck. 

“You gonna talk all day, Jackson?” she challenges. 

Percy lunges at her arms out. In a few quick movements Annabeth grabs his arm, spins around behind him, knocks him over, and pins him to the ground by sitting on top of him. 

“Hey!” Percy groans, struggling to get free. 

“Yeah Annabeth!” Ava cheers from the couch. 

“And that, Ava, is how you kick some butt.” Annabeth basks in her victory. “So what should we do to him?”

The wicked grin that slides onto Ava’s face is the thing people write horror movies about. While Annabeth watches a plan formulates in Ava’s mind. Ava hops off the couch, plopping down onto the ground beside Percy’s head. 

“We give him,” she pauses to shove her finger in her mouth. “A Wet Willy!” 

Without hesitation Ava sticks her saliva covered finger into her brother’s ear, devolving Annabeth into a fit of laughter and Percy into a writhing mess that tries to get his sister’s spit out of his ear. He reaches for Ava who rolls away, screeching with laughter. Annabeth is laying on her side, laughing hard enough that tears build at the corner of eyes when Percy turns on her. He dives and in a second he’s on her, hands on either side of her head as he looms over her, face just inches away from hers. Somehow he’s ended up between her legs, one of her knees riding against his hip, chest rising and falling as she gasps for air and breaths him in over and over. Annabeth can feel his breath on her chest, the warmth of having him so close to her. She takes a deep breath and holds it, waiting, unsure of what will happen next, of what she wants to happen next. Her eyes meet a brilliant sea green and something in her stomach lurches. 

“You guys are weird,” Ava says through a mouth full of popcorn. 

Percy bolts away from her, straightening himself out as his eyes lock on the coffee table. They settle back in and resume the movie, Ava seeming to easily forget what happened while Annabeth seemingly can’t. After each movie there is a quick break for more popcorn or drinks or to run to the bathroom before plopping back down on the couch or in a pile on the blankets. Sometimes Ava settles next to Annabeth or Percy or between both of them, and sometimes she sits by herself to leave Annabeth and Percy to themselves and the building tension. 

It’s early evening by the time they exhaust their supply of movies and watch the final set of credits roll across the screen. Annabeth has burned away an entire day and her only regret is that there isn’t another day, or week, to do it over again. Instead there will be five long days between now and the next time she can spend a day with them– with Percy– and only one or two afternoons to look forward to until then. 

Reluctantly Annabeth says her goodbyes, turning down Percy’s multiple offers to get her dinner and giving a final goodbye hug to Ava. She tells herself there will be more days, more dinners, more time to spend with both of them.

* * *

 

The last meeting of the day drags on almost an extra hour, letting the Jacksons get to the park long before Annabeth can free herself from the constraints of concrete and glass. Percy is at their normal bench, head dropped back with his eyes squeezed shut. Annabeth uses the walk over to him as a chance to admire his broad shoulders and the small strip of stomach that shows where his shirt rides up. Part of her wonders how she’d ever get anything done if he worked in her office. 

“You make the park look fun,” she calls out. 

Percy’s eyes snap open, his face softening when he spots her. 

“If I have to spend another day on this bench I’m going to lose my mind,” he grumbles, letting his head fall back against the bench with a dull thud. 

Annabeth stops a few feet short of him to wince, watching him for any sign he’s hurt himself, or has hurt himself and is trying to hide it but he only stares dead-eyed into the sky. 

“What, is spending time with me really that bad?” 

“No!” he shouts. “Not all all,” he says quieter, eyes dancing to anyone nearby that might have heard him yell. “It’s just sitting here and eating hot dogs and I feel like I’m stuck and I’m– I’m just so bored.” 

Annabeth laughs at how pitiful he looks, stranded on a bench on a beautiful day with an adorable sister and forced to spend an hour talking with an attractive woman. 

“Then how about we go somewhere else,” Annabeth offers, holding out her hand to help pull him from the bench. 

“Anywhere that isn’t here is fine with me.” 

“Even if I said the DMV?” 

“Okay, mostly anyplace is fine,” Percy revises his statement. 

He wraps his fingers around hers and the rush of warmth that surges up her neck before dipping into  her stomach forces her to look away. She lets their touch linger a second, feeling the slight callouses on his fingers as they slip through hers. Annabeth pulls her thoughts from Percy’s hands and places them back on the present moment. 

“Should we take your sister or do you think she’s fine here?” Annabeth says dryly. 

“She’s probably good,” Percy responds in just as flat a voice. “Was never a huge fan of her anyways.” 

Annabeth gives him a playful shove that makes him laugh and her smile. 

“Fine, she can come live with me.” 

“Don’t tell her that or you’ll be buying Winnie the Pooh sheets.” 

Percy heads off to Ava as she runs across the park with another group of children her age. Annabeth watches both of them, smiling to herself at how lucky each of them are to have one another. Percy finally manages to drag Ava back by carrying her over his shoulder, making exaggerated movements as he twists back and forth, pretending he’s trying to get a look at her while she squeals for him to let her go. 

He plops her down on the ground between himself and Annabeth, leaving very little room between any of them. 

“Why did you make me leave my friends? I was winning!” 

“Because we’re going somewhere awesome,” Percy tells her, reaching down to tussle her hair. 

“Really?” Ava eyes him curiously. “Where?” 

“Uh…” Percy looks to Annabeth for direction. 

“You’ll find out when we get there,” Annabeth tells them both. 

“You picked it?” Ava’s eyebrows lift. “Okay let’s go!” 

“So when I say we’re going somewhere you want to know where, but Annabeth you’ll just trust.” Percy’s mock hurt face is so convincing she has to keep herself from stepping forward to kiss the frown from his face. 

“Yep,” Ava says simply. “Let’s go.” Ava grabs Annabeth’s hand and waits expectantly, staring up at her with warm brown eyes full of trust. 

It’s not a far walk to the Library, and it goes by faster with Percy and Ava squabbling with one another the entire time. As the make their way the last half block to the stone steps that lead up to the building Ava’s eyes narrow, glancing around at different landmarks. 

“I know where we’re going,” Ava says seriously. “The library right?” 

“Yep.” 

Percy lets out a groan behind her that Annabeth cuts off with a sharp look. For a second he looks ashamed of himself before turning his eyes to his feet, hands jammed into pockets. Annabeth smiles with pride knowing it’s that easy to bend Percy to her will. 

“So you’ve been here before?” 

“Yeah with my mom.” Ava’s voice is light and happy, but the moment that follows her statement is too heavy. 

“So have you seen the media room?”

“Media room?” It’s Percy that asks the question, turning Annabeth’s head to gaze back at him. 

“Mhm. Libraries can be fun, you just have to find the secret places other people don’t know about.” Annabeth leaves enough flirt in her voice to bring some red to Percy’s cheeks. 

“What’s in the media room?” Ava asks. 

“Why don't we find out,” Annabeth says with a squeeze of Ava's hand. 

She leads them past the stacks of books, past the rows of computers, past the help desks and study tables. Off to the side is a white door with a paper sign with media room printed in large black letters. Annabeth swings it open to usher them inside but Percy takes the door from her, waiting stubbornly until Annabeth goes first. The room is small and a bit cramped, the musty smell of old carpets and cardboard stronger than outside. 

The shelves aren't lined with books but DVDs, and surprisingly, VHS tapes. Annabeth starts hunting through the rectangular boxes, eyes scanning for the cartoon cover. It takes her a minute but she finds them, a conglomeration of everything Winnie the Pooh the library has received over the years. She pulls everything she can find off of the shelfs, passing each one to Ava until she can’t carry anymore. Ava accepts each movie and DVD eagerly, eyes wide as she stares down at the glossy covers and outdated animation. All of it seems to be too much for her, so Annabeth steps in to help. 

“Are there any you haven’t seen?” 

Ava gazes at the covers a second longer before nodding. She attempts to pull two VHS tapes from the stack but her hands are too full so Annabeth grabs them for her. 

“These ones?” Annabeth asks, holding the two pieces of nostalgia up. 

Ava nods vigorously, eyes fixed on the movies. 

“Okay, then let’s put the other ones back.” Annabeth takes the excess DVDs and tapes, finding each its home with only a little trouble keeping the letting straight. 

When Ava’s arms are free Annabeth hands back the two movies she’s picked out. 

“Libraries are the best,” Ava whispers, making Percy and Annabeth laugh. 

With their movies in hand Annabeth leads them back out, stopping to check out the outdated VHS tapes, even promising Ava to get her a library card of her own. The walk back to Percy's apartment takes less time than the walk there, mostly do to Ava's constant prodding to walk faster. 

Percy unlocks the apartment door, letting Ava run in but gently grabbing Annabeth's arm. She stops, eyeing him curiously. 

“You know you don't have to do this,” he tells her softly. “Spend your evening watching kid movies and going to the park.” 

“I like Winnie the Pooh and the park,” Annabeth says slightly defensively. “And I like spending time with you,  _ both _ of you.” She gives his arm a squeeze, savoring the feel of muscle and warmth. “Besides, I can't leave Ava to be stuck with you all the time.” Annabeth flashes him a daring grin and ducks into the apartment, ready to enjoy a few hours of nostalgic bliss while using every excuse to sit as close to Percy as she can.  Annabeth misses the cool spring nights that have been replaced with warm summer evenings. They were a welcome relief from too warm days, and a good reason to stand close to Percy on their lingering walks home. She still stands close to him, arms brushing as they walk, but there's no veiled innocence anymore. Percy never steps away though, keeping the distance between them just enough to build a tension in Annabeth's stomach she's desperate to release.

* * *

 

Their date had been dinner and a movie, specifically Italian and a romcom. They'd talked about all the places they wanted to travel, the monuments and tourist traps they longed to see. Percy had absentmindedly traced his fingers along her arm after the confusing bumbling of bumping elbows on the shared armrest. His slow, gentle touches had burned through her. Watching the movie had been nearly impossible, all of her focus being redirected to the smoldering pit in her stomach.

Annabeth has no issue with how slow they’re taking things, were she in Percy's position she'd do the same thing. The longer they draw this out though, the harder it is to keep herself collected. It doesn't help that he's as bad as she is at hiding his frustration, even worse at hiding his lingering gazes. 

They stop at the entrance of Percy's building, Annabeth's heart already racing as she imagines the all too short kiss goodnight. 

“So…” Percy glances up at the building nervously, keys jingling as he fiddles with them. “Would you– would you want to come up?” 

Annabeth's eyebrows shoot up. In the last month that they've been dating she's only stepped foot inside the apartment during the day. Every other date has ended here at the building entrance. 

“I'd love to,” Annabeth says with a smile. 

Percy smiles back, swallowing quickly before turning to the door and opening it. The walk up the steps is silent and tense. Annabeth is ready to tell him she's actually ready to head home, hopefully putting an end to his stress when he stops at the landing to his floor. 

“So, uh, before we go in,” Percy turns so he's facing her, eyes tentatively meeting hers. “My best friend Grover has been babysitting for me and, uh, well– he's excited to meet you.” 

“Is that why you're so nervous?” Annabeth teases. “And I thought it was because you were inviting an attractive girl up to your place.” She's blatantly obvious but it's worth the blush in his face. “I'd love to meet him,” Annabeth says softly, her hand reaching out to squeeze his. 

Percy's smile eases and he gives her hand a squeeze back. It's Annabeth's turn to feel the weight of the silence as they make their way to Percy's apartment. The realization that a best friend's approval is only second to family's approval turns her stomach to knots. Annabeth is sure Ava likes her, but Sally isn't around which may leave Grover as what's left of Percy's family. 

The door to Percy's place swings open, the smell of popcorn and Mexican food wafting out. Percy steps into his apartment, shrugging off his jacket and calling out a hello. 

“Hey man! I saved you some enchiladas,” a male voice calls back. 

“Awesome,” Percy responds, turning to give Annabeth a nervous smile. “There's actually someone I'd like you to meet.” 

Percy steps into the living room and Annabeth follows, shoulders squaring and an easy smile on her lips. 

“Grover, this is Annabeth. Annabeth, this is Grover.” 

Annabeth takes in the mess of hair tucked under beanie, the green shirt with ‘recycle’ in bold letters, and the haphazard grin. 

“So I finally get to meet you,” Grover says happily, hand extending to shake hers. “You know Ava never stops talking about you.” 

“It's a pleasure to meet you too,” Annabeth says taking his hand. “And I hope good things.” 

“Only great things,” Grover assures her. “That guy though,” Grover nods to Percy. “I can't get a word out of. Which is interesting since you're the first girl he's dated in how many years?” 

“Isn't Juniper waiting for you?” Percy says quickly. 

“Eager to get me to leave, huh?” Grover laughs.

“Eager for you to stop embarrassing me,” Percy mutters. 

“You're right,” Grover admits. “I should get going. Annabeth, it was a pleasure to meet you.”

“It was great to meet you too.” 

Grover leaves, giving Percy an over eager clap on the shoulder, leaving the two of them alone in the apartment. Percy glances at her, then down the hall. 

“I'm just gonna check on Ava real quick.” He jerks his thumb in the direction of his sister's room. 

Annabeth nods, heading for the couch herself. Percy is only gone a minute, when he comes back the last tension in his face is gone. 

“Everything good?” Annabeth asks, turning to press her side into the couch to better face him as he sits on the couch beside her. 

“Yeah. She's out like a light. So… Anything you want to do?” 

Annabeth doesn't miss the hesitation in his question, how gingerly he says the words, or the way his eyes drop to her lips. 

“Make the most of our time alone,” she says breathily, leaning into him. 

Percy swallows, his lips parting before he leans forward. The kiss starts off slow, a gentle press of their lips that slowly burns to more. The heat weakening their inhibition and letting desire run through their blood. The last of Annabeth's self control boils away as he grabs her by the hips, pulling her into his lap and pressing her down onto him. Annabeth moans, a low sound that rolls out of her without any thought. It only spurs him on, pressing back up to meet her and deepening the kiss until she loses herself in him. 

The feel of Percy under her, hands pressing into her hips, lips pulling, the kiss only broken by small gasps nearly undoes her. She needs Percy, now. She's ready to have him there on the couch when the cough echoes down the hall. Both of them freeze, an inch of space opening between them as they respond to the sound. 

There's no Ava in the doorway, no sound of her moving around. Other than their labored breathing the apartment is silent. One by one Percy's fingers lessen the pressure on her hips. She has to stop herself from groaning, from pressing down harder onto him. The fire still burns in her bones but she tempers it, feeling the moment slip away from them. 

When Percy finally looks back to her, eyes still wide with worry, she's able to take a deep breath. 

“I should get going,” she whispers. 

“You don't– I mean if you… sorry.” His eyes drop, fingers tighten on her hips again. 

“It's fine. Another night,” she tells him. 

When Percy swallows, his eyes shift to the same intensity they were at a minute ago, she has to push herself away. 

“Let me call you a cab,” he says quickly, scrambling for his phone. 

“I can walk.” 

“You can also take a cab.” 

Annabeth takes a deep breath, weighing the moment to see if it's worth it. 

“I can take a cab,” she relents, stomach flipping when he smiles. 

He walks her down and waits with her, standing too close for his own good. Annabeth's heart pounds in her chest, nerves burning for more of him. The cab appears around the corner and Annabeth isn't so sure she can pry herself from him.

“I'm really sorry,” Percy says softly, too much guilt weighing in his voice.

“Percy, it's fine.” 

“I– I know we're going slow it's just… “ 

Annabeth kisses him. Hard. Hard enough to hopefully make him forget whatever he was going to say. 

“I'm willing to wait,” she says as soon as she breaks the kiss, her voice husky. 

The cab gives them a honk, forcing Annabeth to step away. 

“Goodnight, Percy.” 

“G’night,” he says dreamily. 

Annabeth hopes the cab ride home will help cool her down but it doesn't. By the time she's stepping out onto the curb she's determined she's not going to have to wait much longer for him. Before she slips into bed she sends him a short, but very suggestive text. It only takes him a second to respond, Annabeth biting down on her lip as she does. She's definitely making sure ‘another night’ happens soon.  Instructions he'd texted her had said to come in as soon as she'd gotten there, but she's never let herself into Percy's apartment before. The knob turns easily, the door swinging open with a gentle push, but the first step into the apartment feels monumental.

* * *

 

“Percy?” She calls out.

“Kitchen!” 

She slowly steps down the hallway, making her way to the kitchen while taking in the smells of cooking. She picks out tomato sauce and basil, olive oil and onion. 

“Smells delicious,” she says stepping into the kitchen. 

“Thanks. I hope it tastes delicious.” He doesn't turn to her as he speaks, he's too focused on stirring a sauce. 

Annabeth takes a minute to admire him, dark blue apron, sleeves pushed up to his elbows, hair slightly disheveled. This is something Annabeth could absolutely get used to. 

When she's done admiring him she glances around the apartment, which is suspiciously quiet and her legs suspiciously free of a clinging eight year old. 

“Where's Ava?” 

“She's at a friend's house…” Percy side eyes her nervously. “She got invited to a sleepover so I figured we could have a night in.” 

Annabeth watches him for a second. “That sounds great,” she says calmly, betraying the fluttering of her stomach. “So what is it that smells so delicious?” 

“Chicken parm. My mom's recipe.” 

“Did she teach you to cook?” Annabeth asks gingerly.

Percy nods, eyes fixed on the stove. “She used to tell me if I couldn't figure out a date, just cook.” 

“Smart woman.” Annabeth leans against the counter beside the stove, skin tingling with the heat radiating off of it. 

“Want to taste?” He asks, holding up a spoon. 

Annabeth takes his hand in hers, guiding the spoon to her lips and barely muffling the embarrassing nose as she tries her first taste. 

“I'll take that as a good sign,” Percy chuckles, face slightly pink. 

Annabeth feels the heat climb up her neck. “Anything I can do to help?” 

“Nope. My mom said if I'm going to cook for a girl then I do all the cooking, let her watch and enjoy.” 

“How much are you appreciating that advice?” 

“Right now? More than I can say–” he glances at her with an embarrassed smile– “when I was fifteen and my mom was trying to help me impress a girl? I have to admit I might not have been as appreciative as I could have.” 

“Well I'm glad the lesson stuck. Even if your manners didn't,” she teases. 

Percy glowers back at her but it only makes Annabeth laugh. It doesn't take him long to finish the rest of dinner and he shews her towards the table while he serves them. 

She happily digs into her plate, letting conversation wait until after she's had her fix of Percy's cooking. 

“You know there's more?” Percy asks laughing. 

Annabeth has to finish chewing and swallow before she can respond, “I've seen the way you eat, there won't be more for much longer.” 

Percy glares at her and she takes another bite, over dramatizing a noise that makes Percy blush to his ears. His eyes never stray from her for very long after that, flicking between her lips, eyes, and hands. His leg races at a relentless pace, the moment shaking the table. Annabeth places a hand on his leg under the table, pressing fingers into jean to get him to stop. His head snaps up, an embarrassed grin slowly spreading across his face. 

“So, uh, how do you like it?” Percy pushes food around around his plate. 

Annabeth gives him a grin, “Delicious.” She slides her hand from his leg, letting her fingers drag against him. 

Percy's face turns a shade pinker, his leg going rigid. Annabeth pretends she doesn't notice, locking her eyes on her plate and keeping her head down. She enjoys the feeling of his eyes lingering on her, tracing over her hands and face. Her heart pounds in her ears, the tips of her fingers, echos in her chest. Percy just being there, across the table from her, is all it seems to take to slowly fuel something in her that threatens to be too much. 

She slides her plate away from herself, finally raising her gaze to meet Percy’s eyes. He stares at her openly, warmly, all of his attention focused on her. Annabeth feels the blush creep up her neck, her skin burning. 

“Done?” he asks, hand already grabbing her plate. 

Annabeth nods, watching him carry the dishes to the sink. She pushes herself from her chair, slipping up behind him. Her fingers press into his back, skimming over the thin cotton shirt and warm skin underneath. Percy presses back into her, letting the plate clatter to the sink as he turns to her. 

“So… is there anything you want to do tonight?” 

Annabeth gives him a wicked grin, the fluttering in her stomach rolling into a storm. “You,” she says proudly, watching Percy’s eyes flash. 

“Oh…” 

Annabeth grabs his shirt and pulls him forward, diving into the feeling of his lips pressed against hers. She drinks in the warmth of his lips, his hands, of every inch of him that fits perfectly against her. Annabeth pulls at him, bites at his lip, drowning herself in him until all she feels is the unrelenting need to have him. 

Everything that isn’t the kiss, isn’t her hands against his back, isn’t his hands on her waist is lost. Vaguely she registers that they’re moving, a bed under her, the pull of clothing that breaks the breathy, desperate kisses. She throws herself into him, drowning out the worry of too much too fast, or what happens after this with strangled moans and quickening breaths. Percy does his best to burn away anything and everything that pulls at the back of her mind as he moves over her. 

When the desperation is somehow sated, when she is left breathless and heavy eyed and exhausted she drifts off with the smell of him around her and the warmth of him under her.

* * *

 

A single beam of light slips between tightly closed blinds to fall across her face. Annabeth rolls away from it, blindly searching for a few more minutes of sleep only to find another sliver of light. She cracks her eyes open, forehead creased as she wonders how Percy can sleep with it being so bright. 

The realization that it is bright out, not the soft filtered light of dawn but the full brilliance of morning hits her like a cold blast. Annabeth lurches out of bed, snatching her phone from bedside table across from Percy. A black screen stares back up at her, refusing to blink into life no matter how many times she presses the button. With a whispered curse she shoves the sheets away, picking out her discarded clothes from the floor. In the weeks since she’d spent that first night with Percy she’d been meticulous about setting an alarm, about slipping out of the Jackson apartment well before Ava woke up. After a night of Disney movies and falling asleep on the couch she’d managed to drag herself to bed but forgotten to make sure her phone was charging. 

Staying at Percy’s had been running the risk of being found out by Ava, but making the choice to go home to a stack of books and a potted plant instead of curling against Percy in sheets that smell of him is too much to ask most weekends. One night had turned to two, then three, then several and slowly the boundaries had faded away to hazy guidelines. Now she has to hope Ava is as lazy as her brother.  

That hope is shattered by the sound of cereal crunching in the living room. Annabeth stops in the hallway, debating if it’s worth hiding out in Percy’s room until she can slip out later. The thought of another lie, another ruse to skirt around the fact that she’s spending the night leeches most of the warmth and joy from being at the Jackson household. 

Rather than run Annabeth takes a deep breath and steps out of the hallway into the living room. 

“Morning, Ava.” 

“Annabeth! Do you want some Sugar-O’s?” 

For a second Annabeth wonders what a wonder Sally and Paul must have been to have a child unphased by nearly anything. 

“Sure.” 

“Great! What do you want to do until Percy gets up?” 

“You say that like it’s going to be a while,” Annabeth laughs. 

“Probably. He’s a lazy butt,” Ava says with absolute seriousness. 

Annabeth muffles a laugh and follows Ava into the kitchen to make herself breakfast. 

Ava’s words prove true, Percy finally emerging from his room well into late morning. He makes it all of two steps into the living room before his eyes snap open, hand stopped half way through worsening his bedhead. 

“How come you didn’t tell me Annabeth was spending the night?” Ava demands, glazing over greetings and getting into the thick of it. 

“Uhhh… it wasn’t really planned?” Percy offers. 

“So does this mean she’s coming to Montauk?” 

Percy’s eyes shoot to Annabeth, then away from her as quickly. 

“I hadn’t talked to her about that yet,” Percy growls, giving his sister a death glare. 

“Well why not?” Ava asks dramatically. 

“Because…” Percy hesitates. “Have you brushed your teeth yet?” 

“I barely finished breakfast?” Ava gestures to the empty bowl in front of her. 

“Perfect. Go brush your teeth.” 

“Uhhhhg,” Ava groans. “You’re so lame.” 

“The lamest,” Percy comments, eyes turning back to Annabeth. 

Ava takes her time making her way across the room, pointedly sticking her tongue out at her brother along the way. When she’s finally gone from the room Percy moves the couch and takes her place. 

“At the end of every school year we go out to Montauk. It’s a–” 

“Tradition?” Annabeth guesses. 

“Yeah. I didn’t bring it up because… well…”

“It’s a lot.” 

“It’s not that I don’t want you to come!” Percy says hurriedly. 

“But it’s a family thing. A  _ family _ family thing. Inviting me would make things pretty serious.” 

A moment of heavy silence sits between them, neither eager to break it. Both counting down the seconds of privacy they have left. 

“I’m okay with serious,” Percy says softly. 

“Are you sure? This is your thing,” Annabeth jerks her head towards the bathroom. “I don’t want to be in the way.” 

“It’s a tiny house,” Percy says smiling. “Everyone is going to be in the way.” 

“That’s not what I meant,” Annabeth swats at Percy. 

“I know. But look at it this way, if you don’t come I think Ava might actually die.” Percy deadpans the comment, keeping his face stone straight. 

“Shut up,” Annabeth rolls her eyes at him. 

“She would!” Percy insists. “Ava!’ Percy turns to shout down the hallway. “Wouldn’t you die if Annabeth didn’t come to Montauk?” 

“You have to come!” her disembodied voice shrieks. 

“It’s settled. You come or Ava dies.” 

“Blackmailing me into coming along? Really?” 

Percy shrugs at her, “Were you really going to say no anyways?” 

Annabeth smiles at him, a bubble of warmth churning in her stomach. “Probably not.” 

“Then everything’s settled. You’re coming with us.” 

Ava comes flying into the room at that moment, a cry of victory on her lips. Annabeth laughs and catches the girl as she leaps across the couch. The weight of what she means to them, and what they mean to her, settling in her stomach.

* * *

 

Ava hums along to a song playing on the barely audible radio, the volume turned down after they had tired of belting out the lyrics to child appropriate pop songs. Ava's humming the remnant of their short lived stint as singers. Percy drums his fingers to a beat that Ava punctuates with her swinging feet.

The entire thing holds a weight of domesticity that makes her feel surprisingly at ease. The hours of the drive slip past, Percy filling her in on what she can expect and Ava adding in the obligatory embarrassing stories. 

By the time they pull up to the small one bedroom house Annabeth is actually nervous. Her stomach nearly in her throat. The weekend looms over her like a right of passage, a trial to prove to herself that she belongs, to bring her into the family. 

Ava tears across the small lawn to the front door, bouncing excitedly with a mix of enthusiasm that the school year is over and to use the restroom. 

“So what are we doing first?” Percy asks, throwing his door closed.

“The beach!” Ava calls across the yard. 

“How’s that sound?” His green eyes turn to Annabeth. 

“Perfect.” 

“The beach it is.” 

Percy scoops their bags from the trunk of the Prius, including Annabeth’s against her protests, leading the way up the steps of the cozy porch. 

As soon as he has the door open Ava rushes inside, slamming the bathroom door behind her. 

“You can change in there,” he gestures towards a narrow, white door at the back of the house. 

Annabeth takes her bag from him and wanders to the bedroom, eyes scanning the pictures hung on the walls. Just like the apartment, it tells its own story. There’s no direct timeline here, no flow of time in the framed photos. Instead they are a collage of moments. Sand castles and bonfires, surfing and starry nights, smiles and laughter. 

There are more pictures of Sally here. Her laying on the beach reading, holding Percy or Ava in the waves, She’s young in some of the oldest, around the same age Percy is now. Annabeth bathes in the captured memories around her and slowly releases the nervous tension that’s built in her shoulders. This is a house to laugh and smile and enjoy yourself, and that’s what she’ll do. 

She pulls her swimsuit from her bag, slipping into it quickly and grabbing a cover up to save her from the summer sun. The second she steps into the living room she feels Percy’s eyes move to her, lingering on the stretches of skin left exposed by the bikini. He stands in the kitchen, a package of hotdogs clutched in one hand.  

“So gross,” a small voice mutters as Ava appears from the bathroom. 

“Right,” Percy clears his throat. “The beach.” 

He ducks back into the bedroom, giving Annabeth a quick second glance that sends a rush of warmth through her, before emerging with a stack of towels. 

“Don’t you two need to change?” Annabeth questions. 

“Nope. We came prepared,” Ava answers proudly. 

“Cheaters,” Annabeth sticks her tongue out at Ava who responds in kind. 

“Let’s go dorks,” Percy says chuckling. 

The house is a stone's throw, and a small one at that, from the beach. The air is thick with the scent of salt and hot sand. The wind whipping at her curls and the ends of her coverup. Ava quickly leaves them behind, making a direct course for the water and hurling herself into it. Annabeth and Percy follow behind at a leisurely pace. 

They find a spot to set up camp, spreading out their towels facing the crashing Atlantic Ocean. 

“The house is beautiful.” Annabeth settles on her towel, stretching out her legs and pointing her toes towards the surf. 

“Thanks. My mom practically grew up here.  _ I _ practically grew up here. It’s as much home as the apartment is.” 

“It feels like it. It’s not a vacation house… it’s a home.” 

Percy nods, “My mom used to bring me up here when things weren’t great. Even in the middle of winter she’d drive us out here. I loved those weekends. Just the two of us, not having to worry about school or my step dad.” 

Percy’s voice trails off, his fingers idling playing with the sand in the thin sliver between their towels. Annabeth reaches out and takes his hand. 

“My dad would take me to the pier in San Francisco sometimes, just the two of us. We’d get soup or hot chocolate and he’d tell me crazy stories about some battle or military leader. I loved those days more than anything.” 

“I’m glad you came,” Percy says after a beat. 

“I am too.” Annabeth smiles.

* * *

 

The park teems with life. Children and joggers, a few Frisbees and even a yoga class. All of them enjoying the warmth a mild summer day to burn away a few free hours. Annabeth joins them, cutting a quick path across the park to find their usual bench. An hour doesn't give her very much time but it's a chance to get out of the office, to enjoy unabashed flirting with her boyfriend and teasing jokes with Ava. 

It's Ava that she spots first. Brunette ponytail streaming behind her as she dashes after her friends. Percy she almost misses, elbows rested on his knees rather than thrown over the back of the bench. His head down as he sits hunched over himself. 

If it wasn't for the mess of raven hair and wide shoulders she could have walked past him without a second glance. Percy's shoulders look made of stone, pressed together and sharp. There's no sign of the rolling ease of his muscles, no fluid movement like the gentle flow of the tide. A sliver of a saying comes to her about still waters before the storm and Annabeth swears the air turns sharp with chill. 

Annabeth slides onto the seat next to him, pushing the tupperware holding the lunch he's made her to the side. 

“What's going on?” 

He blinks up at her, forcing his shoulders to square and back to straighten. “That obvious?” 

“Very. So what's going on?” 

“I have a week long training coming up,” Percy slumps back against the bench, letting his legs stretch out in front of him. “And Grover was going to watch Ava but there's an emergency, something about an oil line rupture. He won't be able watch her and now… “ 

In their months together Ava has been Percy's first concern, so in a choice of family or duty to the Navy Annabeth has no doubt what his choice would be. He'd watch the world burn before abandoning his sister.

“So I'll watch her.” There is nothing but determination in her voice.

“I can't ask you–” 

“You didn't. I offered.” 

“Annabeth this– this is a lot to ask of you.” 

“I'll stay at the apartment. I've got more than enough vacation saved. There's a wonderful daycare center near my office or she can go to work if they won’t give me the time off.” 

“That’s a week you’re away from your apartment. Stuck taking care of kid that’s never going to leave you alone.” 

Annabeth grips the edge of the bench, knuckles turning white. “Do you think you’re stuck taking care of Ava?”

“No but–”

“I spend almost every weekend at your place. I’m not far from  _ living _ with you. Besides,” Annabeth quickly glosses over her last comment, “if I can manage to read with you always trying to… distract me, I think I’ll be fine.” Annabeth gives him a sly smile while a blush creeps up his neck. “I want to do this, Percy.” 

He looks across the park to Ava, still enthralled in her game and oblivious to Percy’s concentration or the knot in Annabeth’s stomach. Percy shakes his head, Annabeth waiting for the inevitable comment about it being too much, that he can't put this on her, that he must down himself before asking for help. Her anger builds in her chest, rising with the quickening pace of her heart. 

“I'm probably the biggest jerk for dumping my little sister on my girlfriend.” 

It takes a second for her to realize the words are not a no, not an excuse, not an argument she's ready to throw herself into. She still reaches out to give him a shove. 

“You're not dumping your sister on me.” 

“Then what would you call it?” 

“A strategic plan to steal your sister from you, “ Annabeth says simply, leaning back into the bench. 

“I'm not sure you really need a plan for that. I think if you offered to save her from her mean brother that makes her brush her teeth and sets a bedtime she'd have her stuffed animals packed in a heartbeat.” 

“You don't give her enough credit, she's a Jackson after all. She'd pick family over everything.” 

Annabeth watches him out of the corner of her eye, brow furrowing as a smile slips across his face. 

“That's the issue. You're family.”  There's a strange satisfaction in the thick click as the deadbolt turns. Something that should have come when she opened the door to her own apartment for the first time. Something long since overdue. 

The door to the Jackson apartment opens easily under her palm, the same smells of the ocean and baking welcoming and beckoning her in. The wheels of her suitcase clatter as they cross the threshold, alerting the apartment to her presence. 

“Annabeth is here!” Ava shouts, likely to her brother who is tucked away somewhere in his bedroom. 

“Hi Ava,” Annabeth shouts back. 

She pulls her luggage into the living room, finding Ava hunched over a coloring book while Winnie the Pooh plays softly in the background. 

“He's still packing,” Ava informs her, still tracing Piglet with a pink crayon. 

“Why am I not surprised?” 

“Because he's a dork.” Ava's response to the rhetorical question makes Annabeth chuckle. 

“Takes one to know one,” Annabeth counters. 

Ava's head snaps up, giving Annabeth a glare that would be impressive if Ava wasn't eight and there wasn't a stand of hair stuck in the corner of her mouth. 

“Why is she giving you the Look?” Percy's voice interrupts them.

“Because I called her a dork.” 

“You're the one who's gonna marry a dork.” 

Ava's comment brings both Percy and Annabeth to a screeching halt. Eyes snapping to each other then back to her. 

“Uh, what?” Percy asks.

“Grover said so.” 

“ _ What? _ ” Percy screeches. 

“And Rachel said you'd be a fool not to ask.” 

“Rachel?” Annabeth turns her attention to Percy. 

“Uh– a friend.” 

“They used to date. Rachel kissed him.” 

“A friend I might have dated.” 

“Uh huh,” Annabeth hardens her gaze. 

“Well unfortunately I have to go,” Percy says quickly. “You gonna give me a hug?” he asks, ruffling Ava's hair. 

Ava doesn't give him a response, her eyes glued to the page in front of her. 

“Ava I know you don't want me to go but it's only a week. I’m not going away forever. This is just training, okay?” She doesn't respond to Percy's gentle words. “It’s just a week,” he says reassuringly.

Before Percy can try again Annabeth kneels opposite Ava at the coffee table, picking up a crayon and rolling it between her fingers. 

“How lucky I am, to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” Annabeth lets the words settle over the little girl, watching as her eyes shift to the TV for a moment. 

Without warning Ava jumps at Percy, wrapping her arms around his waist. Her face tightens with a mix of pain and fear. Annabeth watches, her heart tearing. 

“You have to come back. You have to promise.” 

It takes Percy a moment to pry Ava free and lift her up, pulling her to his chest. 

“I promise,” he says softly, eyes fixed on Annabeth.

* * *

 

It was easy to keep Ava occupied the majority of the week, and in the process has kept herself occupied. Sunday morning there had been a shift. Ava seemed to wake up distracted, her head lost in the clouds. Annabeth hadn't been much better. 

Now she's stuck in limbo, waiting for Percy to come through the door to fill the void left in the apartment. The one that oozes an infectious nervous energy. Annabeth bounces her foot, fiddles with the remote, checks the microwave, the tea kettle, the stove, with anything that might help a few more seconds drain through a bottomless hourglass. 

Percy has already sent her a handful of texts through the day, nothing enough to give her a definite time to expect him, nothing to ease the nerve frying energy that refuses to let go of her. When the lock finally turns, the door swinging open from a good shove it lets out a built up wave like a dam burst. The release pulls the air from her for a second, the muscles in her shoulders and back easing. 

Ava tears across the apartment, the remote clattering to the ground in her wake. Annabeth follows behind her, stopping when she can see him standing in the doorway. He’s dropped his bag at his feet and wrapped his sister in a hug. Annabeth grins at the two of them, letting Ava and Percy have their moment but Percy steps forward. He keeps one arm around Ava and wraps the other around Annabeth to pull her into the hug. Ava is caught between them, her little arms still wrapped around Percy’s neck. 

“Okay let go!” Ava’s voice is muffled between the two of them. “Let goooooo,” she whines. 

“Fine,” Percy says as he releases Annabeth, then Ava. “Thank you,” he says to Annabeth. “I, uh– I missed you.” 

“I missed you too.” Annabeth feels the gentle heat climb up her face. 

“I know you have work tomorrow but maybe you could spend the night here?” he asks tentatively, as if the words are made of tissue paper. “I mean if you have clothes.” 

“I actually do,” she says with a smile. 

“Oh, good. Then maybe you could also spend the week? Or… longer?” 

The drop in her stomach is followed by a soaring rush that deafens her. 

“Are you asking me to move in with you?”

“You spend so much time here anyways. We have the space. Think of how much you could save in rent. And it’s not even that much further from your work.” Percy rattles off the argument like he’s rehearsed it, which he likely has. 

“Using reason on me, Jackson?”

“It makes sense doesn’t it?”

“It does.”

“So?” Percy stares at her expectantly.

“Yes.” The grin that splits Annabeth’s face hurts her cheeks. 

“Yes!” Ava cheers, tiny fists flying into the air. 

Percy and Annabeth break into soft laughter, Percy’s hand reaching out to find hers. Annabeth mouths the countdown to Ava silently, using her fingers to track the count. They hit one and Annabeth flings the door open, Ava rushing across the bedroom to leap onto the bed. Percy sits up, eyes blinking and fuzzy with sleep. Hiz gaze sweeps between the two of them, searching for clues to what’s going on, why he’s been so abruptly woken up. His eyes hit the candles pressed into into the stack of pancakes. 

“Happy birthday,” Annabeth’s voice drags with the remnants of sleep. 

“Happy birthday!” Ava cheers, voice bright and clear. 

He gives the two of them a lopsided grin, brushing some of the strands of hair from his face. 

“Not going to sing me happy birthday?” 

“Not until dinner,” Ava says proudly. 

“Where are we going again?” 

“Ha!” Ava throws a pillow at him. “I'm not telling you.” 

Annabeth crawls onto the bed, careful not to tip the plate or set herself on fire. Percy happily takes the plate from her, his eyes drinking in the sight of the fresh pancakes. 

“Blow them out! Make a wish!” Ava instructs. 

Percy takes a deep breath before blowing out the candles. Through the thin wisps of smoke Annabeth watches him close his eyes for a split second. 

“Has your wish come true yet?” Ava bounces closer to him. 

“Well you're still here so no.” 

“You're mean! Annabeth tell him he has to be nice.” 

“It's _my_ birthday, I don't have to be nice if I don't want.” 

“That's not true!” Ava protests.

“Yes it is.” Percy says stubbornly. 

“Just eat your pancakes.” Annabeth intercedes before the squabble gets out of hand. 

The siblings still stick their tongues out at one another before Percy digs into his breakfast. He shares with both of them. Passing them pieces of sticky sweet pancake or offering a fork full. When they're finished Percy places the plate on the bedside table and pulls Annabeth beside him. Ava rolls back and forth on her side of the bed, swinging her legs about. 

“Good birthday so far?” Annabeth lifts her head to look up at him. 

“Great. Miles better than the ones spent on deployment.” 

“They were that bad?” 

“Working on your birthday sucks. And working on your birthday while being halfway around the world sucks even more.” 

“Not as much as the Christmas you were gone, “ Ava chimes in. 

“Yeah,” Percy says with a huffed out laugh. “Not as bad as that. Besides, I have an incredible girlfriend and okay little sister– ouch!” Percy yelps as Ava's finger digs into his ribs. 

“You're a lame older brother!” Ava leaps off the bed. 

“Come here and say that.” Percy grabs for her but Ava takes off from the room. 

He leans back, twisting himself to half face Annabeth. 

“Be nice to her. I spent far too long trying to hunt down the exact present she wanted to give you.” Annabeth narrows her eyes at him. 

“What about my present from you?” he asks, voice turning husky. 

“Grover is watching Ava this weekend so we can go to Montauk.” 

“That sounds like Grover's present, not yours.” 

“Oh it is. You're getting my present in Montauk,” Annabeth responds, her voice getting just as husky. 

She twirls herself away from Percy and out of bed, swaying her hips far more than necessary as she leaves the room and enjoying the feeling of Percy's eyes following her.  Annabeth fell in love with work the day she started. Days spent challenging herself, tracing out the lines that will one day change the look of the city she lives in, building something is always worth the weariness that pulls just behind her eyelids.

* * *

 

In the long, warm months since she met Percy work changed. It's no longer the defining scope of her life, but one facet as she shapes and defines herself. The newest and brightest is what’s waiting for her at home, the one she shares with a perfect, green-eyed guy and an adorable eight year old. The place she’s actually managed to build herself something permanent. 

Ava will be impatiently working on her homework while Percy procrastinates doing his own work. Their work will be scattered across the coffee table and living room floor, possibly even the couch. Somewhere in that pile of madness will be Annabeth’s book, probably tucked under some of Percy’s notes or in between the cushions of the couch. She’ll tuck into her book with the two of them complaining and groaning. At some point they’ll try and distract her, if only to have an excuse to free themselves from their work. 

Annabeth can’t help but smile, eager to make it home– to their home. 

She finds Percy exactly where she expects, hunched over on the couch staring at a paper in his hand. Percy’s face is dropped over his paper, his shoulders slumped, hand tight around the paper. 

“Was your test score that bad?” Annabeth laughs. 

Percy’s hand only tightens around the paper, crease lines forming. 

“Percy?” Annabeth drops her back, shucking off her shoes and heading for the couch. 

She sinks onto the couch next to him, gently pulling the paper from his hands. The dark blue lettering in the corner turns her stomach into a block of ice. Annabeth has to push down the urge to shove the paper away, to ignore the overly formal writing that tears apart everything. 

“I’m being deployed.” 

The words echo in the apartment, the world that was previously so silent roaring with Percy’s statement. Annabeth fights to make sense of them, to weigh them against the paper in her hand and the terror that floods her muscles with every beat of her heart. She skims the paper, picking out the details, the few important words buried in formality and military wording. 

January. It’s the word that stands out the starkest against all the others. January. He won’t be leaving right away, not for a few months at least. Time to get things in order, to process this, to even pretend it isn’t happening. 

“We have a few months. You’ll be here for the holidays. You’re here now.” Annabeth says the words as much for herself as for him. 

Percy presses his palms to his face, his shoulders shaking slightly. Annabeth finally lets go of the paper, letting it drift away to fall anywhere. She wraps herself around Percy, cheek pressed to his back, arms tight around his chest. She presses herself against him until the strain in her arms and pressure in her chest turn to an ache that finally lets her feel something more than the cold numbness that has spread from her stomach. 

“P-percy?” 

Their heads lift, Annabeth still keeping her arms around him. 

“Ava,” Percy’s voice cracks, sounding strained and broken. “There’s– there’s something I need to tell you.” 

Percy wipes at his face quickly, waving his sister over as he brushes away the last tears that have built in the corners of his eyes. Ava rushes over, hands fisting into Percy’s shirt. Her face is pressed into his neck. Annabeth presses herself back against him, taking in the chance to hold him, to hear his heartbeat pounding in her ear. Reminding herself that he is hers, that he is still here.

* * *

 

The lights from the Christmas tree mingle with the flashes of premature fireworks set off across the neighborhood. Annabeth is pressed to Percy’s side, fingers intertwined as they watch the countdown tick away. Ava lost the fight to stay awake not long ago, slipping off to sleep with her head on Percy’s lap. 

There was never a firm choice made on what their plans would be, but looking back Annabeth never really expected anything but this. Christmas had been a welcome distraction, something to pry her mind from the countdown of days left. The season had helped to shift the mood in the apartment. A fresh change to the daily flow of life. 

But the coming of New Years had meant the coming of January, the coming of the last few days left before she’s forced to say goodbye. As joyous as waking up to Ava pulling them out of bed Christmas morning was, a part of her mind had started the countdown of the seven days before everything changed. 

Annabeth’s heart drops at the same rate as the ball, a slow horrible sinking that never seems to end. A sickening finality to the countdown that looms over the entire apartment that never seems to come. Annabeth is falling, her heart thundering in her chest as she waits, begs, hopes for that fall to be over but dreading what will happen at the end. 

Annabeth only has one resolution this year, to keep her family together. 

When the countdown finally ends, when the clock strikes midnight and January is officially upon them Annabeth presses her lips against his. The kiss lingers past the burst of fireworks, past the cheers that sound from the TV and echo from the street. It burns until they are breathless and desperate and numb from everything but one another. 

While the rest of the world celebrates the birth of a new year, a breath of fresh hope and opportunity, Annabeth clings to the life she has built, the family she’s found, the home she loves. The ringing of cheers and bells is a harbinger of the threat this year holds, of the possibility of good and bad. 

Whatever the next year holds Annabeth swears to herself she will not let anything go lightly, she will not sit by and let the year make choices for her and leave everything she has in the hands of fate. She has found something permanent, and she will cling to it.

* * *

 

Steam billows from the vents in the sidewalk, from the breaths of New Yorkers as they hustle down the street. Annabeth keeps her chin tucked to her chest, doing her best to ignore the chill that she celebrated the freedom from when she met Ava last spring, the same chill that chases her now as she heads to pick up Ava. 

Two days of searching had yielded the daycare center. It's only a few blocks from their apartment, focused on letting kids express themselves in a structured environment, and with raving reviews. They had welcomed Ava warmly, giving her the room she needed to open up and adjust to her brother's departure. 

Annabeth had submersed herself into the transition, into throwing everything into making sure Ava was taken care of. Quiet phone calls to her school and teacher, shifting things at work to make sure she's available at a moment's notice, because it's what has to be done. Because Ava is her family. 

The receptionist at the daycare gives her a warm smile. “Ava had a bit of a… rough day, “ she warns Annabeth who can only nod. 

Every day is a fight between the pull of curling in on herself, of giving into the pull of missing part of her family, and keeping her head high for Ava. 

Annabeth takes Ava's hand as soon as she appears in the hallway, ready to make it to the warmth of home and away from the chill. She takes a second to ensure Ava is bundled up against the chill before leading them out into the New York winter. 

“So what do you want for dinner?” 

“Does it matter.” 

Despite the crowd around them Annabeth pulls Ava to a stop. She drops to a knee, pulling Ava to face her. Ava’s face is drawn up tight, eyes boring into the cement and mouth in her set in a firm line. Annabeth tastes the words of her normal pep talk, about how everything will be fine, that they just have to make it a little while , that they have each other, that it really isn’t that bad. The words taste bitter and dry, overworn and thin. The only thing that seems real is the part of her that aches, the part of her that echos Ava’s words. 

“I miss him too.” The words pain her to say, to finally let out. “I miss him every day and I want him to come home.” She takes in a ragged, shuttering breath. “I hate this. I hate that he’s not here and you were left with me. And I hate that I can’t do anything to make you feel better.” Annabeth’s voice breaks, the words finally letting free the torrent that’s been penned inside her since Percy got his orders. 

Ava’s lip trembles, her hand scrubbing at her eyes. Annabeth grabs the little girl and presses her to her chest. 

“I’m so sorry, Ava.” 

“I’m– I– I’m s– sorry.”

“No, sweetie. You have nothing to be sorry about.” 

“I j– just m– miss him.” 

“I know you do. I know.” 

“I want him to come home.” 

Each of Ava’s sobs strip away a piece of her, leaving her raw and aching. Annabeth tears herself apart wanting to make things better, to stop Ava from crying, from missing her brother. 

“An– Annabeth?” Ava’s broken and muffled voice makes Annabeth pull back. 

“What is it?” 

Ava’s red shot eyes blink up at her. 

“I– I don’t want to lose you either… you’re my family.” 

Annabeth squeezes Ava into another hug, taking in the smell of her hair and the warmth of her arms around her neck. 

“You’re never going to lose me, Ava. Ever.”

* * *

 

Annabeth stares at the pale blue screen, fingers tapping at edge of the laptop in a quick nonsensical rhythm. Ava shifts in her lap, twisting back and forth to get more comfortable. A clawing dryness plagues her throat, too thick to swallow past and too insistent to ignore. It could very well be the tendon in the room, in Ava, in herself, constricting her throat to slowly suffocate the life from her. 

It's not their first call, but she still sits herself in front of the open laptop fifteen minutes early, still watches the clock tick closer to seeing him again. Though at times the calls are all to similar to talking to a ghost, a presence that's there but never fully, with them but still lost somewhere else. 

The calls help, they remind her that Percy isn't lost forever but it's Ava that's made things the easiest. The need to lose herself in responsibility had faded into genuine concern for the little girl first and her own needs second. Eventually the wear of living for Ava had caught up with her and she'd fallen asleep with a pot still on the stove. No real harm except for a burnt dinner and the cost of pizza had occurred, but it had refocused her. Annabeth had been forced to accept taking care of Ava had also meant taking care of herself. It had been easy to transition back into taking care of herself for the sake of herself after that, accepting the temporary situation given to them. 

In the past weeks things had turned around, Ava's bad days dwindling away, her focus returning and the apartment filling with laughter. 

There are still moments, little times when she catches his scent on herself or finds herself reaching for him before she catches herself, before she remembers. 

The call pops up on her screen, her laptop singing out a digital melody for a second before she slams the accept button. Percy's face appears on the screen, disheveled hair and bags under his eyes. If she wanted to she could convince herself that he's here, that she just woke him up after finding him passed out on the couch after a night of studying. 

“Hey,” Percy greets them, voice rumbling through the speakers. 

“Hi Percy!” 

Annabeth grins at Ava's eager voice. While Ava's mood has turned back around she's never as much herself as she is when on these calls. 

“Hey,” Annabeth says, her voice surprisingly clear. 

“How are you guys? No one's being a dork?” Percy gives a pointed look down at his screen where Ava's head is just inside the frame. 

“How could anyone be a dork? You're not here.”

Annabeth let's out a small snort. 

“I'm gonna get you back for that.” 

“Good luck,” Ava shoots back.

Annabeth watches the two of them stick their tongues out at one another and laughs again. 

“Tell your brother about school,” Annabeth says, giving Ava a poke in the ribs to end the childishness. 

“It's okay,” Ava shrugs. “But we have so much math homework and it's dumb.” 

“Hey!” Annabeth chides. 

“Well it is!” 

“I never liked math,” Percy interjects.

“You never like any subject.” Annabeth can almost feel Ava roll her eyes. 

“I liked marine biology.” 

“I mean normal subjects.” 

“What do you mean  _ normal _ subjects?”

“Really you two?” The siblings both glance at her before attempting to blame one another.

“How are you?” Annabeth asks, steering the conversation away from the light hearted bickering. 

“Good. My crew chief is great and the guys I work with are cool. It's also really nice things are quiet.” 

“I'm glad to hear that,” Annabeth feels a knot of tension loosen. “Anything new on when you'll be back?” 

“They haven't said anything officially but rumor is we won't have to stay out any longer than planned.” Percy grins and Annabeth feels her heart lift. 

There's a crackle through the speakers and Percy's image freezes still mid grin. 

“Percy? Did we lose you?” Annabeth checks the connection and sees the green bar shift to red, an error appearing about a bad connection.

“An– you there? H– Beck do– going on?” Percy’s image jumps for a second, his head turning to the side and glancing at something out of frame. “Something– I guess– blocking–” Percy's choppy words feed through the speakers. 

“Percy?” 

The image returns, pixilated and messy but live.

“Hey,” she says. 

“Hey. I guess there's a storm messing with our signal. I may lose you.” 

“That's fine. It's time for bed anyways.” Annabeth runs a hand over Ava's arm. 

“Right, I should grab food. I love you guys.” 

“I love you too,” Ava says, voice dropping. 

“Love you too, Percy.” 

“I'll email you when I can.” 

“We miss you. Stay safe,” Annabeth reaches a hand for the screen, as if touching it will bring him closer. 

“I will.” 

“Bye,” Annabeth waves and Ava does the same. 

Percy gives them a wave and a smile before the call ends and the feeling of missing him rushes back in like a tide held at bay too long. Annabeth tightens her arms around Ava, pressing her cheek to the little girl’s hair. She tells herself only a few more months and he will be home, only a few more months until they are a family again.

* * *

The number of times that the TV in the shared break room has actually been used is so few times Annabeth had forgotten it existed. And to walk in to find it playing a news piece about a crash on a US aircraft carrier rips the ground out from underneath her. 

The anchor is a voice over layed on a few seconds of video footage shot from what must be a passing ship. The video loops over and over, the same few seconds on a loop that she can only watch in horror. A black plume of smoke billows from the deck of a cold grey ship, red flames dancing as they lick up steel and jet fuel. 

She searches the handful of figures running around the fire, trying desperately to put out the flames. A bar of text scrolls under the repeating image, most of it vague reports and rumors, whisperings of what’s happened. There are words like attack, accident, rescue, casualties, and finally something that Annabeth catches. A single word amidst the noise and static,  _ Andromeda _ . 

Annabeth is terrified to keep up with the news as it unfolds, but more terrified not to. She refreshes the articles on her phone incessantly, scanning them for any new details. Slowly the news trickles in, the vague statements filling out as more and more is discovered. The wreckage hidden under the smoke and fire is a helicopter that went down during a storm, igniting and exploding . There are no details on injuries or worse, but Annabeth doesn’t expect that no news is good news. They inevitably do confirm the ship name and Annabeth feels one of the threads of hope she clings to desperately snap. 

While the waiting is a slow and drawn out hell, hours spent watching her phone as nothing but fear comes from it, the walk from Ava’s school to the apartment is something else entirely. Every step takes her closer to a fate that is all to sealed. The inevitability of facing the truth, whatever it is, a monster that breathes down her neck. The longer she waits, the slower she walks, the more little reasons she finds to drag out the short blocks home are all just more moments spent between relief and suffering. Between the words she’s desperate to run from, and the ones she’s been chasing all day. 

Salvation or damnation, the freedom from this hell and the plunge into another is waiting for her at home. 

There are no crisp blue uniforms standing at the door. The relief of that fact alone, that there is no harbinger of death waiting at her doorstep, is enough that Annabeth feels the tears prick at the corners of her eyes. They sting in the chill that clings to the remnants of winter but Annabeth doesn’t bother to wipe them away. She scoops up Ava, the little girl feeling the tension that lays over her guardian. Annabeth smiles, the weight of Ava replacing the weight of the day, of Percy’s fate, of losing a piece of her family. 

She’s on the first step of her apartment when the car door clicks open. It’s Ava’s fist tightening in her jacket that gets her attention. There should be something elegant in the gold and blue of their uniforms, something beyond the cold horror that washes over her. 

All the weight crashes back down onto her, slamming into her like a wave that tears her from shore to pull her out into the suffocating depths. The life she’s built in the last year, the home and family and future are suddenly gone. They have been ripped from her hands like the breath from her lungs, leaving her breathless and bleeding. The only thing she has left, the one thing keeping her afloat in the torrent that has taken everything else is clutched in her arms. 

Annabeth stands, head up and eyes level as they cross the sidewalk to her. She stares at a spot just over their shoulders as they introduce themselves. Their words nearly blend into the vacant noise and static of the city, of the sound of the world going blank around her. She hears them but doesn't listen, doesn't bother to. 

“Ms. Chase, we regret to inform you…” 

The rest of it doesn't matter. Platitudes and courtesies won't change things, won't stop the fog of numbness that encroaches on every inch of her, won't absolve the pain of loss and hurt. And they certainly won't bring him back.

* * *

It never seems to end. At every milestone and completed task there is another waiting. The wake, the funeral, the memorial. Everything demands her attention, her approval, and everyone lines up to take a minute of her time to give their condolences. Those few moments when she could catch her breath are spent with Ava, most of the time curled in her bed– what was their bed, Percy's bed– doing her best to sooth away the tears. 

All the while she holds in a sob, choking her throat and threatening to spill out at any point. She drowned the day they came to tell her he's gone, and now she's left in the echos of that moment, the water still filling her lungs. 

Annabeth is ready to collapse in on herself, held up only by momentum and sheer will. Even that is failing, cracking under the weight that builds, the fractures running through her like spiderwebs. 

She has told herself over and over that this is the final wave, that the storm is receding and she only has to last a little longer. To survive just a few more days. It's this mantra she repeats to herself as they step out of the cab and stands before another nondescript government building. 

Tucked away in an office somewhere in the grey cement walls of the building is the lawyer that holds the last tether of family Annabeth has left in one hand, and a blade in the other. The officer has already explained that there are benefits, papers, signatures that all need to be taken care of. The details of death that each strip away another layer of skin to leave her raw and wounded. To never let her heal. 

The building screams bureaucracy and smells of stale, re-heated air, but it’s the feeling of it, the itching sensation that comes with the realization that this building exists for those who have lost. Survivors is the accepted military term, but Annabeth knows the truth. She, just like so many others, is the shell that is left after a loss, and maybe survivor isn’t such a bad name for it. She’s surely not living. 

The lawyer finds her trying to sort through the rows of neatly placed cubes, showing her the small corner where Ava can sit and play while they talk. She refers to herself as a Judge Advocate General, JAG for short, and Annabeth remembers something about a TV show that ended long before she was old enough to know of it. She pulls a file and places it on her desk, a seemingly insignificant stack of papers that defines everything Percy has left behind. 

“I’m sure you’ve been through a lot already, so I’m going to give you the bullet points,” the JAG opens the folder, flipping through a few pages of notes before handing Annabeth a crisp sheet of paper with a list on it. “The rights to Sally Jackson’s books, royalties, and reprints go to Ava. As does all of his inheritance and monetary assets, with you as the Executor. You will receive the house, life insurance, and death benefits.” 

Annabeth blinks at the sheet of paper, the words too formal, too stiff and cluttered and long to smooth out and make sense with the letters tumbling together. 

“What about Ava. Do I– if I’m the Executor of the trust…” 

The JAG slides another sheet of paper across the desk, this one a page of paragraphs and amendments, clauses and causalities, with a single line at the bottom with her name and an underlined space. All of it too much to take in when the weight of the building presses down on her lungs until they have collapsed in her chest. 

“Your signature acknowledges that you accept full legal responsibility for Ava Jackson-Blofis as left to you by Perseus Jackson.” 

Annabeth gasps, not in horror or gratefulness, but because for the first time in days she can breath, because her lungs no longer burn with the fear and terror that she has lost and can still lose more, because the one silver lining to all of this is still there, because she still has her family. 

The tears fall before Annabeth could stop them if she cared at all. A pen is extended to her and it’s all the direction she needs. Her signature is a horrible scrawl that will never be legible but she’s never been so proud of it, never so greatful to put her name to paper and claim responsibility. 

“There will be a few more things to take care of with the state but those documents can be mailed to you, you’ll just need a witness.” 

“Thank you,” Annabeth chokes out, the words thick with pain and relief. 

“You’re very welcome. And Ms. Chase,” the JAG gives her a pained smile. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry for your loss.” 

For the first time Annabeth can actually appreciate the statement. 

Annabeth finds Ava in the same spot she left her, thankfully the little girl has picked up a crayon and started drawing. 

“You ready to go?” Annabeth asks, kneeling beside Ava. 

“Yeah,” Ava says softly. 

The elevator ride down, the walk out of the building, and half the walk home are all made in complete silence. Annabeth is still riding the relief of getting to stay with Ava, and too unsure of what’s going on in the little girl’s head. 

“What’s going to happen to me?” Ava’s quiet question shatters the silence between them. 

“What?” Annabeth pulls to a stop. 

“What’s going to happen to me?” 

“You’re staying with me.” A smile spreads across face. 

“No,” Ava shouts and the smile evaporates. 

“No? Ava why don't you–” the little girl breaks into sobs that shake her shoulders “– why don't you want to live with me? We're family.” 

“No!” Ava's voice cracks, her eyes snapping open wide, and she takes a step away from Annabeth. “We're not family. We're not!” 

Annabeth watches the last person she loves desperately tear at the string that binds them together, doing everything she can to escape it. 

“Ava I don't– I– I thought–” she has to stop as the tears burn across her eyes and down her face. “Why can't we be a family, Ava?” 

“Because everyone in my family dies!” In the silence that lasts a second before the sobs start again Annabeth sees the fear that burns in Ava's eyes. “Be– because I– I– I don't w– want to l– lose you too.” 

The words are forced out between broken sobs that leave Ava gasping and Annabeth heartbroken. Annabeth has watched her family slowly drift away and that is a cruel type of suffering but her father is still alive, her brothers still in San Francisco, and if she wanted she could see them today. But Ava. Ava has watched as one by one her family members have been indiscriminately taken from her without reason between what is right and wrong, between who should live and who should die. At every point Ava has been given the worst of it. She has suffered and lost more in her short lifetime than anyone should. And in the center of the storm she has been left alone to stand by herself while everyone she loves has gone. 

“Do you think that if we're a family something is going to happen to me?” Annabeth says the words slowly, calmly, stripping away as much of the pain she feels as possible. 

Ava's head nods, her body still trembling with silent, wracking sobs. 

“That,” Annabeth says, reaching out to hold Ava's hands, “is never,  _ never _ going to happen. What did your mom always tell you?” 

Ava chokes in a ragged and stuttering breath. 

“You can do it sweetie. Say it with me. If ever there is a tomorrow we're not together… “ she trails off, waiting for Ava to continue. “There is something–” 

“S– something you must always remember. You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart…” Ava stops, the silent sobs shaking her once again. 

“I’ll always be with you.” Annabeth finishes the quote. 

Ava throws herself into Annabeth's arms, the shattered sobs and streaming tears returning. As Ava breaks in her arms, Annabeth can feel it in her chest. The broken, uneven breathing and shaking, burning tears echo through her. She tucks Ava against her chest, praying that the fates give the little girl a happy ending, wishing she could take away the pain. 

* * *

The first day she she can manage– really manage, where the air is free of the weight of loss and she can feel the warmth of the sun that bakes the concrete, pushes Annabeth from the rows of glass framed pictures in her apartment. She takes the first breath of fresh air that doesn't press against the pain seared into her heart that doesn't burn as she gulps it down. Annabeth is a migrant, fleeing her apartment– too crammed with memories and remembrances– to find a less comfortable spot on the bench where she can hold a book she can't manage to read and enjoy the few extra minutes of being able to breath– to manage– slowly being fed into her loss induced hibernation. She'd slipped back to the bench she'd spotted all those months ago when the world was brighter and unblemished by the mar of loss, a congealed mass of pain and doubt and hurt that will take time to meld into the past. Now she reaps the rewards and consequences of that fateful day. 

She blinks as she glances across the park, the sounds of bird chatter and traffic and life reminding her that the world still turns. A mess of brunet hair lazily trails behind Ava as she halfheartedly chases a few other children across the park. It only takes a second before she is carried away in the memories of the first time she met the little girl and her older brother. It's the memory of Percy saying his favorite Winnie the Pooh quote that comes back to her, that they dream so they don't have to be apart. She hopes that's the case. 

Despite the ending, despite the loss and pain and grief, despite all of it, she wouldn't change that day. Wouldn't give up the time she had with him or the family she gained. 

Because after all, how lucky she is to have something that made saying goodbye so hard. 

  
  
  
  



End file.
